After rookie receiver Henry Ruggs III injured his hamstring in practice, the Raiders were counting on another rookie to shoulder the load at receiver; Bryan Edwards. He did step up, creating two big chunk plays in the passing game.
However, Edwards injured his ankle in the contest and missed most of the second half. While he tried to fight through the injury on the sideline, it was clear that he wasn’t ready to come back and compete.
That injury appears to be a significant one as the team has already ruled him out for their Week 4 contest against the Buffalo Bills. According to Ian Rapoport, the team is worried that he could miss multiple games with his ankle sprain:
#Raiders rookie WR Bryan Edwards is out this week vs. the #Bills as he battles an ankle sprain, source said, and he’s considered week-to-week after that. The No. 81 overall pick could miss additional games, a hit to Las Vegas’ depth at the position.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 30, 2020
With Ruggs and Edwards likely out this week, the Raiders are going to rely on veterans Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones to shoulder the load at receiver. Darren Waller and Foster Moreau also could see an uptick in targets as the rookies rehab.
As for Edwards specifically, he has started all three games for the Raiders so far this season. He’s totaled 99 yards on five receptions despite only seeing six targets. Once he is healthy, he is expected to return to his spot in the starting lineup.
