Henry Ruggs Exactly What Las Vegas Raiders Wanted

Despite a knee injury, Henry Ruggs made one big play and helped open up the Las Vegas Raiders offense.

Rookie wide receiver Henry Ruggs III wasn’t half bad in his debut for the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday.

The 5-11, 188-pound pound Ruggs, selected No. 12 overall by the Silver and Black in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Alabama, caught three passes for 55 yards, including a 45-yarder from quarterback Derek Carr, and ran twice for 11 yards in the victory over the Carolina Panthers.

“Obviously (Henry) Ruggs III came up with a couple big plays,” Raiders Coach Jon Gruden told reporters after the game. “We targeted him early. He left the game with a knee (injury). We hope it’s not severe. He was able to finish.”

Ruggs left the game late in the first half because of the left knee injury, walking gingerly to the locker room shortly before halftime.

Although he returned for the second half, Ruggs did not add to his numbers.

“I just got tackled a little awkward,” said Ruggs, who expects to be full speed for Monday night’s contest against the New Orleans Saints in the first-ever game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

“I feel pretty good. It’s just something that comes with the game. It’s a game of football. It’s a physical game. So, kind of went down a little crazy, but I’ll be all right.”

So Ruggs didn’t have an impact on Carr and the Raiders’ passing game in the second half.

Or did he? Apparently, just being on the field affected the Panthers defense.

According to Pro Football Focus: “If the Raiders drafted Henry Ruggs III to coax downfield aggression out of Derek Carr, it looked like it worked. Ruggs had three catches for 55 yards, including a 45-yard deep shot over the middle. And Carr had four deep passes in the game, with one more just under 20 air yards.”

Added Paul Gutierrez of ESPN: “Yeah, he is as fast as advertised. The starting wideout flashed his 4.27-second 40-yard speed early and often, especially on his 45-yard catch-and-run to the Panthers’ 1-yard line. Ruggs banged up his left knee on an awkward tackle late in the first half and went to the locker room but returned after halftime.”

The Raiders incorporated Ruggs into the offense from the start, running him on a fake reverse on their first play of the game, and Carr threw another deep pass down the middle of the field in the first quarter that Ruggs got a hand on but could not quite control.

Then he almost scored on the 45-yarder across the middle, so the Panthers had to be aware of where he was every time the Raiders broke the huddle when Ruggs was in the game.

That’s what the Raiders were looking for from Ruggs, who Owner Mark Davis wanted to draft and give the Silver and Black what they had with the great Cliff Branch, another speedster who opened things up for players like quarterback Kenny Stabler, wide receiver Fred Biletnikoff, tight end Dave Casper and others back in the glory days of the 1970s and ’80s.

“I mean, it was big for my first catch to be a big play and to pretty much get the game started for the offense,” Ruggs said of his 45-yarder to the 1-yard-line. “That was big for me because I feel like I want to be one of the guys that can be the spark whenever we need it. That’s exactly what it was.

“ … It gets a lot of the anxiety out, so now it’s just back to like I always say, just playing football. All the nerves and everything, they’re pretty much gone now because now I can say I did it.”

If the early returns on Ruggs mean anything, the Raiders can expect much more of the same. As Raider Nation knows from those signs in the stands during the Branch days: “Speed Kills.”

TV: ESPN 8 PM ET/5 PM PT

Radio: Raider Nation Radio

Odds: Saints -5.5

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