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Raiders at Panthers, 3

Brian Westerholt / Associated Press

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs III (11) is knocked out of bounds at the 1-yard line by Carolina Panthers safety Tre Boston (33) during first half action of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020, in Charlotte, N.C.

Week 2: Saints at Raiders

Injuries are going to take their toll on every NFL team at some point throughout the season; most just hope it’s not at the outset.

The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t been granted that wish. They came out of a 34-30 Week 1 victory over the Carolina Panthers with significant damage that they’ll carry into Allegiant Stadium for a Monday Night Football contest against the New Orleans Saints.  

“A lot of teams say it’s the next-man-up mentality and that’s kind of been Coach Gruden’s philosophy ever since he’s been a head coach,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said Friday. “One man goes down, the next man has got to step up. That’s the mentality you’ve got to take as a coaching staff.”

The Raiders have their final full practice ahead of the Week 2 meeting with the Saints this morning, so some statuses could change, but four key players who were injured against the Panthers have yet to participate this week. There’s major concern that some combination of receiver Henry Ruggs, linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, tackle Trent Brown and tackle Sam Brown could miss the New Orleans game.

Let’s run through their injuries below and what the absences would mean to the Raiders, listing the players in order of significance.  

Nick Kwitakoski

Yes, the Panthers’ game was Kwiatkoski’s Raiders debut, but it was a strong one and one that helped illustrate his importance to a defense that must improve this season.

Carolina’s second-half comeback after falling into a 12-point deficit came when Kwiatkoski, a defensive captain, was forced to leave the game with a pectoral injury. Kwitakoski was at the center of the few defensive highlights the Raiders managed through the game’s opening 35 minutes including a 3-and-out to start the second half where he made two tackles around the line of scrimmage.

The injury is reportedly not as serious as expected and Kwiatkoski could return soon, but it’s uncertain if he’ll be ready for Monday night. Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther reported Kwiatkoski was looking “really good right now” on Friday.

Maybe that was wishful thinking because Las Vegas doesn’t have an ideal replacement to fill Kwiatkoski’s role. It traded for former Miami Dolphin second-round pick Raekwon McMillan right before the end of training camp, but he hasn’t proven to be an every-down linebacker and is better served sticking to run support.

The Raiders’ coaching staff isn’t outright doubting McMillan is capable of the middle linebacker job, but read between the lines, and some trepidation is clearly evident.  

“How can I know?” Gruden said when asked if McMillan was ready to take over for Kwiatkoski. “I just met Raekwon 12 days ago. So, it’s going to be something that he has to prove, our coaches have to prove and the game film will prove. We think he’s a good player, that’s why we brought him here. But has he had enough time to get all the experience he needs to play at a high level against the New Orleans Saints? That’s something he has to prove.”

It might be a close call, but if the Raiders could guarantee one of their questionable players being ready for Monday, it’s probably Kwiatkoski.

Henry Ruggs

Losing a single No. 1 receiver before Week 2 of the season is cruel enough. Seeing a replacement join him on the injury list makes for an extra-hard hit.

Tyrell Williams quietly filled into the top receiver role admirably last year when healthy and was expected to continue this season before suffering a torn labrum and going on season-ending injured reserve in training camp. That opened the door for the rookie Ruggs to be the clear featured receiver, and through the start of the Panthers’ game, he looked up to the assignment.

Ruggs had three catches for 55 yards, including a 45-yard reception he took to the one-yard line, before landing awkwardly and twisting his knee late in the second quarter. The Alabama product limped to the locker room, and though he eventually returned, he wasn’t as effective.

Ruggs said he would be fine in the post-game press conference, but the injury is still clearly bothering him as he’s become a fixture on this week’s injury report. He’s one of the fastest players in the NFL and the Raiders have designed much of their offense around playing off of that attribute.

There’s no replacing it, and if Ruggs misses a game, a unit that looked deep a month ago is suddenly slim. Las Vegas has a couple proven possession receivers in Hunter Renfrow and Nelson Agholor, but it may need more out of Bryan Edwards and Zay Jones if Ruggs is absent.

Jones flashes glimpses of brilliance in practice but hasn’t been able to translate it to limited opportunities on game day, and the rookie Edwards had only one catch for nine yards in his debut last week.  

Luckily for the Raiders, Ruggs might be the most likely player on this list to play on Monday. He returned in Week 1 and it’s unlikely the injury has gotten worse since then considering he hasn’t been practicing.

Trent Brown

It may sound foolish to put the Raiders’ second-highest paid player, one who signed the richest offensive-lineman contract in the history of the NFL last offseason, this low but his absence is at least somewhat expected.

Brown’s injured calf kept him out of the entire Raiders’ training camp and he only returned to practice in full ahead of the Panthers game. He made it through one series in the game before taking himself out with more discomfort.

The offensive line didn’t seem to suffer much without him. They didn’t allow a single sack against the Panthers and ranked first in Football Outsiders’ power-success run metric.

Sam Young first filled in and then Denzelle Good took over, both successfully keeping Carolina’s young edge-rushers at bay and creating holes for running back Josh Jacobs.

“We honestly aren’t going to change what we’re doing,” Jacobs said. “We feel very confident in Denzelle Good and what he can bring to the team.”     

Sam Young

The Raiders are only forced to pledge their commitment to Good because Brown’s backup, Young, lasted less than a half before he also went to the sideline. Brown suffered a groin injury that kept him out of the rest of the game.

He did work out with trainers at Friday’s practice, sparking optimism that he could be back up front against the Saints. Given how well Good, usually a guard, filled in for him against the Panthers, Young’s return would mean the most from a depth perspective.

When he left the Carolina game, Las Vegas was down to one healthy tackle — Kolton Miller, who manned the left side throughout. That’s a rough spot to be in. 

The Raiders would probably prefer to start Young over Good against the Saints given his familiarity at tackle, but the gap between the two isn’t significant. They’ll feel confident with whomever runs out to take the first right-tackle snaps in Allegiant Stadium history.

“We’ll continue to research the waiver wire across the league and see what other players are available for tryouts, but right now, I feel like we’ve got good depth and we’ll play with the players we’ve got,” Olson said.

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

Article written by #LasVegasSun

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