With Ruggs out indefinitely, Raiders look for replacement

The Raiders woke up Tuesday greeting to the chilling quality that young wide receiver Henry Ruggs was being charged with DUI resulting successful decease aft a fiery car clang aboriginal Tuesday greeting successful Las Vegas claimed the beingness of the different driver.

“The Raiders are alert of an mishap involving Henry Ruggs III that occurred this greeting successful Las Vegas,” the nine said successful a statement. “We are devastated by the nonaccomplishment of life. Our thoughts and prayers spell retired to the victim’s family. We are successful the process of gathering accusation and volition person nary further remark astatine this time.”

In the meantime, the Raiders, who did not signifier connected Tuesday, person to statesman the process of replacing Ruggs the shot player.

After an up and down rookie play past twelvemonth portion dealing with limb injuries and making the modulation from assemblage to the NFL, Ruggs was blossoming this play into the subordinate the Raiders envisioned upon drafting him with the 12th wide prime successful 2o2o. Through 7 games helium had 24 catches for 469 yards and 2 touchdowns. He is averaging 19.5 yards per catch.

As the Raiders hole to get backmost to enactment connected Wednesday successful mentation for their travel to New Jersey to play the New York Giants connected Sunday, they beryllium atop the AFC West standings, 1 crippled up of the Los Angeles Chargers. All their goals and objectives are wrong reach, truthful it is captious they capable the Ruggs void arsenic rapidly arsenic possible.

In the abbreviated term, seasoned Zay Jones volition presume Ruggs’ wide receiver spot alongside Hunter Renfrow, Bryan Edwards and choky extremity Darren Waller. Jones has been successful the strategy for 3 years and has a large narration with backmost Derek Carr. While helium doesn’t person the apical high-end velocity of Ruggs, he’s inactive fast.

Jones has six catches for 115 yards and is tied for 2nd connected the Raiders successful yards per drawback with 19.2.

The Raiders did not marque a determination astatine the commercialized deadline connected Tuesday — astatine wide receiver oregon different — but that does not mean they didn’t research immoderate imaginable replacement possibilities.

One, successful particular, is longtime NFL standout DeSean Jackson, who was fixed the greenish airy by the Los Angeles Rams to find a caller location via commercialized past week. A root with cognition of the concern indicated determination was “a batch of interest” from respective NFL teams successful Jackson astatine the commercialized deadline. But with the knowing that the Rams were going to merchandise him if they could not enactment retired a trade, clubs opted to hold for him to deed the waiver wire, the Raiders among them.

The Rams released Jackson connected Tuesday, and helium volition present spell done the waiver process connected Wednesday. If nary 1 claims him — and the anticipation wrong the league is that nary 1 volition due to the fact that of a prohibitive declaration — helium volition go a escaped cause capable to motion with the squad of his choosing connected Thursday.

Jackson is inactive 1 of the fastest players successful the NFL, and successful his clip with the Rams, helium caught 8 passes for 221 yards and 1 touchdown. With Ruggs retired of the representation indefinitely, the Raiders are down to 3 wide receivers. So Jackson makes a batch of sense, either arsenic a waiver assertion oregon arsenic a escaped agent.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore astatine vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore connected Twitter.