Henry Ruggs, who the Raiders drafted with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, was involved in an accident while moving and suffered an injury or puncture to his thigh, NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported Monday. Ruggs reportedly is "OK" and the injury is not considered to be serious.
News of Ruggs' injury first surfaced Monday morning on an SEC message board. The Raiders said they wouldn't comment on Ruggs' medical status, but it appears the lightning-quick receiver got a stroke of good luck in avoiding a major injury before he ever took a snap in silver and black.
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Ruggs' father confirmed the injury and told AL.com that the cut or puncture is minor.
“He was trying to move a trailer or something -- move furniture or something -- and the trailer just kind of pinned him against a car or a wall or something,” Henry Ruggs Jr. said. “He’s pretty much OK, I’m about to go out there and see him in a little bit. It was just like a little open wound on his leg, a little incision. Like something had stuck him right there on his thigh a little bit.”
Ruggs hasn't been able to get the injury checked out yet due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“With this COVID-19 stuff still going on, they wouldn’t let anybody in,” Ruggs Jr. said. “He’s just having to walk on crutches. Not putting as much pressure on it."
NFL
The addition of Ruggs gives the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr something they lacked last season after Antonio Brown demanded his release: a wide receiver who can alter the course of a game in a matter of seconds. Ruggs and his 4.27 40 speed will give Carr a receiver who can turn a 6-yard slant into an 80-yard score. Ruggs' dynamic speed also should open up the offense for the Raiders' other weapons as his mere presence on the field is something opposing defenses must account for.
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The Silver and Black invested massively both in free agency and the draft in injecting talent into a roster that was sorely lacking in 2019. The additions on both sides of the ball have the Raiders primed for a return to the playoffs.
Ruggs is a massive part of their 2020 plans and the Raiders' future going forward and any significant injury would be a massive setback.
If Ruggs' injury is minor as it appears, the Raiders will have dodged a big offseason blow. Safe to say, the Raiders will ask Ruggs not to help anyone move again.