How the Raiders Must Adjust to Life Without Jakobi Meyers

The Las Vegas Raiders' decision to trade one of their best players shifts things for their offense.

Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) celebrates after a touchdown during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When healthy, the Las Vegas Raiders have one of the best groups of tight ends in the National Football League. This allows the Raiders to often play with Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer on the field at the same time, which strains most defenses the Raiders will face.

Raiders' Strength

The Raiders have not had the benefit of having both players healthy much this season. They hope that changes over the second half of the season. On Tuesday, Raiders Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly explained how Bowers and Mayer make for a solid combination.

"Yeah, they're both really good tight ends. But I think your use of personnel really depends on what defenses you're going against and what that elicits from defenses. So, sometimes you say, 'Hey, we should be in a lot more 12,' well if they put a different look on the field, when you probably don't want to be in 12, you want to be in 11,” Kelly said.

“So, you're trying to figure out how do they deploy their defensive guys based upon what you deploy. Because they don't have to play what we want them to play. Like we can't call Vance [Joseph] and say, 'Hey, when we play this, can you do this for us?' That doesn't work that way. 

“So, I think each week will change, because every opponent is different. So the fact that we have two - we've always felt like we have two number one tight ends in Mike [Mayer] and Brock [Bowers] is a good deal. But how we use them, how we deploy them each week will really depend on who our opponent is." 

Oct 12, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Michael Mayer (87) reacts after the game against the Tennessee Titans at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Following the Meyers trade to the Jaguars, Raiders quarterback Geno Smith noted how critical having both Bowers and Mayer on the field is for the Raiders. Las Vegas' offense is primarily based around both players being legitimate threats on the field.

The two tight ends are even more vital after the Raiders traded wide receiver Jakobi Meyers shortly before Tuesday's trade deadline.

“I mean, you have got to use your great players, man. You have got to use your good players. And Brock [Bowers] and Mike [Mayer] are two of our good players and two of the guys that we rely on in this offense. And if we're in 12 personnel, 11 personnel, no matter who's out there, guys got to make plays," Smith said.

“But having those two guys on the field, you can see the results. They both are extremely talented players. They play extremely hard and they're big targets, man. They find ways to get open, and you can see what they do with the ball in their hands.”

Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers | Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

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