Raiders TE Bowers Looks To Stake Claim As League’s Best

The Las Vegas Raiders had no shortage of issues last season. However, the injury that tight end Brock Bowers suffered during the first game set the tone for how the rest of the 2025 season would go. The early-season injury to Bowers all but derailed the entire season.

The 2025 Raiders had many more issues than just Bowers' injury, but his injury was the first of many and was the epitome of foreshadowing. Las Vegas spent most of last offseason building their offense mainly around Bowers. Not having Bowers fully healthy had a significant butterfly effect.

Bowers, of course, played most of last season, even though he was not fully healthy. Although he was still impactful, he undoubtedly was not himself. Defenses caught on quickly and made the Raiders pay. They hope all of those things will be different under Klint Kubiak.

Bowers Is Back

His elite rookie season was indicative of just how good Bowers can be. He registered a historic rookie season, posting arguably the best rookie campaign of any tight end in league history. His injury-plagued second season confirmed his importance just as much as his solid rookie season did.

In training camp, Bowers has been unstoppable. He has seemingly caught passes and scored touchdowns at will against an improved Raiders defense. Las Vegas had a joint practice against the Houston Texans, who have one of the league's top defenses. Bowers was still productive.

Bowers' Importance

Bowers is a foundational piece for Las Vegas. He is part of the reason Kubiak decided to accept the Raiders' head coaching position. The past few weeks have been the Bowers show in camp; Kubiak and company hope Bowers stays healthy and translates that success into the regular season.

Las Vegas has assembled a much deeper group of pass catchers, yet the success of that group depends heavily on Bowers' presence. Veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins recently shared his thoughts on Bowers, with whom he has already built a strong connection in just a matter of weeks.

“I'm really impressed with him as a person. Certainly, a great player, everybody knows that, but from a distance, you don't get to know him as a person. And he's always detailed on his routes, he just takes care of himself,” Cousins said following training camp.

“He 's a pro, and he's the kind of guy that you say, 'Alright, if we do our part getting you the football, you stay healthy, the sky is the limit.' We've just got to take it one day at a time and keep giving him those opportunities to help us.”

As the Raiders move forward under Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko, finding ways to fully maximize Bowers' talents, whether he has the ball or not, must rank near the top of their to-do list. Bowers' importance goes without saying, yet his skill set has not been fully utilized.

Bowers is a unique talent who has looked much more like his normal self now that he is fully healthy. If he remains healthy and the Raiders' offensive line blocks well enough consistently, there is no reason to doubt how well Bowers will do this season. Raiders tight ends coach Luke Steckel explained.

"Brock [Bowers] is highly, highly intelligent football player. He's such a natural player and a sneaky player. Some people were born to play football, and I think he was one of them. I think you could put a blindfold on him, and he'd find a way to get open,” Steckel said following training camp.

“He just has such a great feel for space out there versus zone coverage. He's got great release plans versus man-to-man when they want to come down and press him. But it all starts with the mental aspect, like you're alluding to. He's an extremely smart player, but he also puts in the work."

Bowers has been dominant in camp. Las Vegas showed a significant need for improvement against a more polished, more established Texans team in joint practice on Tuesday. However, Bowers' success was further confirmation that what he has shown in training camp is accurate.

As 2026 approaches, Bowers' health and production will be critical for Las Vegas, as he is the straw that will stir the Raiders' drink.

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