If the Las Vegas Raiders stand any chance at upsetting the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9, it will take a massive performance from star tight end Brock Bowers. Without a true WR1 on the roster, Bowers has essentially served as the Raiders' go-to receiver all season long. A deep-dive into his usage and numbers shows how fascinatingly similar he’s compared to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Bowers enters Sunday leading all TEs in receiving yards (547) and is tied for first in TDs (5). According to Next Gen Stats, he's produced 292 receiving yards when aligned outside in more of a traditional receiver role. Pro Football Focus has Bowers playing way more outside (142) and in the slot (133) than he's played in-line (62).
Since 2024, when
Bowers entered the league, only Kelce has run more routes from the outside (among all qualifying TEs). He's a future Hall of Famer. Bowers has been just as dominant from similar alignments. The comparison is available every Sunday.
Bowers continues serving as the focal point of Klint Kubiak's offense. This coming offseason, Raiders GM John Spytek will be tasked with acquiring a legitimate WR1. Until then, Bowers is doing just fine masquerading as one.
This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: Similarities between Brock Bowers, Travis Kelce being displayed weekly
