Opening up and flying by: Henry Ruggs has ‘come out of his shell’ for Raiders

By Case Keefer (contact)

Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021 | 2 a.m.

Henry Ruggs spent Derek Carr’s weekly news conference on Wednesday peeking through the glass part of the door to the Raiders’ media room and making faces.

The Raiders’ top wide receiver appeared to be joking around with his veteran quarterback, though he later tweeted he was actually scouting out a box of Rice Krispies Treats. Either way, Ruggs’ playfulness was a glimpse into how much has changed for the former first-round pick in his second professional season.

A year ago, Ruggs’ teammates barely knew him beyond the fact that he was fast and quiet. He’s unlikely to ever become one of the more vocal players on the roster, but from the team facility to the playing field, he’s become noticeably more engaged this season.

“Henry has opened up so much,” Carr said.

Las Vegas has benefitted significantly from Ruggs settling in as he leads the team in receiving going into a Week 7 game against the Philadelphia Eagles at 1:25 p.m. Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. The Alabama product has 445 receiving yards on the season, meaning he’ll likely surpass last year’s total of 452 receiving yards with his first catch against the Eagles.

He has nine receptions of more than 20 yards, tied for fourth-most in the NFL alongside stars like Mike Evans and former draft-classmate CeeDee Lamb. Unlike that pair of receiving titans, though, Ruggs has at least one such “big gain” in every game this season.

His ability to stretch the field is a primary reason why Carr sits fourth in the NFL with a 9.8 yard average depth of target, according to Football Outsiders.

“With a speed guy like me, why not take a shot?” Ruggs said after a 48-yard touchdown reception last week in Denver. “I feel like I can get behind any defense.”

He’s proven as much this season by piling up production against every opponent in comparison to last year when his brightest moments happened to come against the worst defenses. Ruggs’ rookie season is mostly remembered for two plays — a game-winning Hail Mary catch to beat the Jets and a career-long 72-yard bomb hauled in during a win at the Chiefs.

But he wasn’t satisfied with the occasional highlight and spent the offseason working toward becoming a consistent gamebreaker.

“I wasn’t honestly doing what I wanted on offense and being the person I am now,” Ruggs said of his rookie season.

The silver lining was that the frustrating season helped him become closer to current interim coach Rich Bisaccia, who ran and continues to run the Raiders’ special teams where Ruggs works as a returner. Ruggs said Bisaccia encouraged him “regardless of what was going on on the field” and may have played a role in the receiver talking more freely coming into this season.

Ruggs’ improved communication and comfortability is more than a cute way team chemistry has improved; it’s directly responsible for some of his big plays as Carr said Ruggs has pointed out defensive tendencies the pair later exploited on multiple occasions.

“It’s unbelievable how well he communicates and articulates exactly what he sees, and he’s right,” Carr said. “I’ve had guys all the time say, ‘Oh man, you got to see me on this.’ And I’m like, ‘Dude, you’re not open.’ But he’s right when he comes over. He’s like, ‘Hey, if they play like this, I’m going to do it like this.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah, that’s exactly what’s going to happen.’ And then we go do it in the game and it’s been really impressive to watch that grow.”

Carr threw with Ruggs more frequently this offseason, but they’ve also developed their rapport in other ways. They’ll occasionally play video games together, which may sound trivial, but Carr says he tries to find unique ways to bond with all his receivers.

Ruggs is building relationships with everyone. Offensive coordinator Greg Olson described the receiver as “a different guy” through the first six weeks of the season.

“He’s come out of his shell,” Olson said.

Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or