Optimism is abound, but it’s not quite clear whether the Las Vegas Raiders will have Brock Bowers on the field against the New Orleans Saints this coming Sunday.
In what’s expected to be a very challenging road game, having the elite tight end would be a fortuitous turn of events for Klint Kubiak’s football that generated back-to-back wins in the first two games of the 2026 season. While the elite tight end returned to practice this week, it’s listed as in “limited” fashion over the course of the daily
injury report, and Kubiak noted in his press conference the team his absence from Friday’s practice was part of the plan.
Bowers is recovering from a meniscus trim surgery for an injury during training camp resulting in the the 23-year-old missing the first two games of the Kubiak era — which makes the 2-0 start all the more impressive.
When Bowers went under the knife and everyone speculated on his return, I’ve been of the mindset that Week 4 is a good time for him to get back in the lineup as that’s the Raiders’ next home game. That October 4 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs would be about four weeks from when Bowers went under the knife on September 9 (and selfishly, I want to call the that month “Brock-tober Fest”).
That all said, what’s clearly not in debate here: Just how much Bowers impacts not only the Raiders offense, but the opposing defense, too.
But as matter-of-fact as Kubiak is, he was straight and to the point when asked about what Bowers’ adds to his offense.
“Whoever’s up each week is the guys that are expected to go help us win the game. So, whether it’s Brock, doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who it is. The goal remains the same,” Kubiak said.
Neither offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko nor quarterback Kirk Cousins divulged any specifics on how Bowers can make the Raiders offense more effective.
“I think it gives everybody confidence that everybody can go in, do their job in the way we see fit,” Janocko said. “That they can go in, they can play different guys, can play different positions. We can maximize different skill sets in different ways and execute the offense.”
“Yeah, I mean, I think anybody, no matter what the position they have as a skill guy, you can use them to attack a defense,” Cousins said. “And again, that’s a little more coaches problem; again, my job is to just kind of execute what they’re designing up, what they’re calling, and go where my reads take me. But you want to have your best players on the field, and I think Brock coming back gives us gives us that.”
Forgive the coy nature of Kubiak, Janocko, and Cousins.
First, they’re not the types to divulge much information. And second, that trio are no strangers to one another which affirms the first point. And third, when he’s been on the field, it’s quite obvious the impact Bowers Makes in Silver & Black.
Standing 6-foot-4 and 235 pounds, Bowers maybe a tight end by position group, but he’s a multi-position playmaker who can line up in any wide receiver spot, in-line and split tight end, and even as a fullback in the backfield. With his tight end size and the speed and sharp router running of a wide receiver, Bowers can out-jump and out-race a variety of defenders.
It’s such a nightmarish matchup for opposing defensive coordinators that they’ve placed their No. 1 cover cornerback on Bowers in hopes of stopping the 13th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
While former Raiders head coach Dennis Allen — who is now the Chicago Bears defensive coordinator — spoke about being multiple, it’s Kubiak who not only talks the talk, but walks the walk. And the newest Raiders head honcho is all about keeping defenses guessing and exploiting the multitude of ways he can get the ball in his playmaker’s hands.
Whether it’s as a traditional tight end or on the perimeter where a wide receiver usually lines up, or the chaos caused when Bowers is in the backfield, his presence alone forces defenses to adapt how they plan to defend the Raiders offense. Instead of being able to load the box or attack the ground game by corralling running back Ashton Jeanty, linebackers and defensive backs get that tingly feeling in their neck when they see Bowers in the lineup. Yes, it may be a run, but getting boat raced by a pass catcher because you stacked the box isn’t an inviting notion.
And Bowers’ ability to run an entire route tree and get open whether its short, intermediate, or deep routes is truly frightening. It’s not fun to get beat horizontally and vertically by a premiere tight end. The Raiders have long suffered this being in the AFC West that featured a slew of productive tight ends from Tony Gonzalez (Kansas City Chiefs), Shannon Sharpe (Denver Broncos), Antonio Gates (San Diego Chargers), and Travis Kelce (Chiefs), to name a few.
Oh, and Bowers is no slouch as a blocker. He’s an asset in both pass protection and run blocking and when he does finally take the field — be it this Sunday against the Saints or in Week 4 — Kubiak will be able to deploy an even more sinister 12 personnel package (that features two tight ends).
