Las Vegas Raiders: 3 players who must step up with Henry Ruggs III gone

Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) runs after a catch as Pittsburgh Steelers middle linebacker Joe Schobert (93) defends during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) runs after a catch as Pittsburgh Steelers middle linebacker Joe Schobert (93) defends during the second quarter at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
1 of 4
Raiders
Sep 13, 2021; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) returns the kickoff against the Baltimore Ravens during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Raiders released Henry Ruggs III on Tuesday night, and with that, these three players will need to step up for the offense moving forward.

With Henry Ruggs III being gone from the team, the Las Vegas Raiders offense takes a massive hit, as he was released on Tuesday night. The ability that Ruggs had to not only blow the roof off the building with a big play, but also open up the field for the offense, is now gone, and it is unlikely that the Raiders will find another player with the ability that Ruggs had.

Ruggs was the Raiders’ first-round pick back in 2020, and the one player that team owner Mark Davis wanted, making him the first wide receiver selected. He struggled as a rookie with injuries, and inconsistent play, but was in the middle of what some would call a breakout sophomore season.

That was before the early morning hours of Tuesday when Ruggs was the driver in a horrific car accident that left one person dead. While we are still getting a lot of the information there, the Raiders have parted ways with the speedy wideout, leaving a hole at the top of the depth chart at wide receiver.

With that being said, the Raiders are going to have to have a short memory, move on from the situation as they did with the Gruden situation, and continue to find ways to win football games. Let’s take a look at three players that must step up with Henry Ruggs gone.

Schedule