Jalen Richard vs Henry Ruggs III
Position: Kick returner
Others: Keisean Nixon
Richards returns to the Raiders on a one-year deal. Gruden loves him in his offense as a receiver out of the backfield. He also, on an occasion, likes him as a return man.
Last season Richard was the next-man-up at both kick and punt returner last season. He had a combined total of 15 returns, with the second most kick returns (nine) and the second most punt returns (six). Though in both instances he didn’t do a lot with them. Especially not at punt returner where he averaged just 3.5 yards per return.
Ruggs was one of the most electric players in college football last season. Along with his receiving duties, he returned 12 kicks, averaging 23.8 yards per return.
The real question here could be just how much they want to use Ruggs. He will be coming in as the team’s number one receiver. Often times teams like to make that an exclusive job.
A look at Tyreek Hill’s numbers could be telling. He wasn’t a starter as a rookie and had 53 returns. He started 13 games in his second season and his returns when down to 25. Then he started 16 games and his returns when down to 20. And last season he had none.
Could Ruggs be relegated to receiver? If so, Richard could be back to kick return duties. If not, Ruggs would figure to be an intriguing option.
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