While the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to escalate in the United States, the NFL doing its best to ensure the 2020 season begins on schedule.
The Las Vegas Raiders, after a successful offseason, will be a team of intrigue as they added several worthwhile players on both sides of the ball. In the 2020 NFL Draft, they took star receiver Henry Ruggs III with the No. 12 overall pick and the wideout will walk in as arguably the most dangerous pass catcher on the roster.
Ruggs gave the Raiders a scare earlier in the offseason as he punctured his thigh helping a friend move, but has reportedly healed and is ready to go for training camp.
Derek Carr has been leading player-exclusive workouts and Ruggs mentioned he has been able to participate in recent weeks, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports:
“I had the mishap with my leg so I wasn’t able to get in as many as I wanted to,” Ruggs said. “I was here for two weeks at separate times. I got in when I could, and the times that I couldn’t work out I tagged along and watched.
“I got ahead on the installs and doing things on the field really helped us out, made us more prepared and things like that.”
The receiver has already adopted a team-first mindset as he also said he is going to do whatever is asked of him on the field:
“I’m out here to do a job, and that’s to help the team win,” Ruggs said. “If I have to block or just run down the field so a defender will look at me, that’s what I’m going to do. I’m 100 percent for the team and I’m going to do whatever the coach calls. As far as the dirty work and the things people usually don’t notice, I don’t mind doing it. It’s just part of being a team player.”
With his blend of speed and steady hands, Ruggs should be a featured player in Jon Gruden’s system and Carr will likely lean on him to make plays. Las Vegas is expected to have a much more exciting offense and the Alabama product should be productive right from the get-go.
Despite the uncertain situation, football should be able to happen assuming teams are diligent about how they handle health and safety protocols. Things can change quickly given the current state of things, but so far it appears the NFL is on track for the upcoming season.
