Las Vegas Raiders put WR Henry Ruggs III on reserve/COVID-19 list
Ruggs, selected with the 12th overall pick after he was the fastest player at the NFL combine with a time of 4.27 seconds in the 40, has not had the impact that Las Vegas had hoped for coming out of the draft. He has 23 catches on 38 targets for 414 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.
Earlier this month, Ruggs said he was not into personal stats, that he just wanted to win.
“I mean, when my opportunities come,” he said at the time, “I make my plays.”
Raiders coach Jon Gruden has said that Ruggs’ speed has opened up opportunities for other pass catchers on offense.
“I don’t know how to quantify it,” Gruden said. “You’d have to ask the other teams’ coaches. We’re not being defended like we’ve been defended in the past. Stats are important to some people; winning is more important to others. We’re more interested in winning.
“The threat of Ruggs III is prevalent when he’s on the grass. We’re going to get him the ball more, but right now we’re more interested in trying to find ways to win than trying to fuel somebody’s stats. We’re really pleased with Ruggs III and excited about him being here.”
Among rookie receivers with at least 15 catches, Ruggs ranks first in yards per catch (18.0), but is 12th in targets, 13th in catches and is 11th in receiving yards and receiving yards per game, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
The Raiders have lost three of their last four to fall out of the AFC playoff race with three games to go.
The Raiders (7-6) also signed defensive end Vic Beasley off the practice squad to the active roster on Tuesday and designated defensive end Takk McKinley for return from injured reserve, opening his 21-day evaluation window.