Raiders TE Brock Bowers Is Back and Ready To Roll

Few players are more critical to the Las Vegas Raiders' success than Brock Bowers. After an injury-plagued 2025 season, Bowers is fully healthy.

Darrell Craig Harris, ON SI

When healthy, the Las Vegas Raiders may have the best tight end in the National Football League. However, third-year tight end Brock Bowers was only healthy for a couple of quarters of the Raiders' Week 1 win over the New England Patriots. Bowers' injury was the definition of foreshadowing.

Bowers' injury was the first of several significant injuries for the Raiders last season. His injury was one that the 2025 Raiders could not sustain if they hoped for a productive season.

Watch Bowers Discuss Organized Team Activities Below

Bowers' Importance

Former Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and former offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spent much of last offseason building their offense around Bowers, only for him to suffer a season-altering injury in just the first game. Carroll and Kelly did not even get one entire game of coaching a fully healthy Bowers.

Carroll and his coaching staff were forced to sit Bowers after just one week or let him rest heading into their first home game of the season, a divisional matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. They played Bowers, but it was obvious he was far from healthy.

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

Any opposing defense and defensive coordinator could tell as much. The Raiders never recovered from injuries to Bowers and others, finishing 3-14 and posting a 10-game losing streak. It was the second consecutive season the Raiders sustained a 10-game losing streak.

Las Vegas enters the season with a much better offensive roster and coaching staff than they have had at any point in Bowers' brief professional career. More importantly for Bowers, he enters the 2026 season fully healthy. Bowers is set to excel under Klint Kubiak, his third head coach in three seasons.

Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) reacts after catching a touchdown against the Denver Broncos during the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In Organized Team Activities, Bowers appears to be back to his normal self. The talented tight end has made several plays on his own and stressed the Raiders' defense in ways that open things up for other players. A fully healthy Bowers' presence on the field is a game-changer for the Raiders.

It is a game-changer that they did not have all of last season. The Raiders look to produce a much more competitive team than they have had recently. They will need Bowers to do so. They are better equipped to deal with life without Bowers than they were, but he is still a major cog in the operation.

May 20, 2026; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak speaks during a news conference during organized team activities at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images | Candice Ward-Imagn Images

Las Vegas' offseason will rightfully be defined by the handful of new additions they made in free agency and the NFL Draft. However, the return of multiple returning players to full strength is a noteworthy aspect of the Raiders' offseason as well. This includes Bowers and Kolton Miller.

Kubiak has not been with the Raiders for long, but even he already knows how important Bowers is to the grand scheme of things. Las Vegas has added enough talent across the board that it may be unclear how Bowers fits into Kubiak's plans, but he is undoubtedly a major part of them.

Dec 7, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) leaves the field following a game against the Denver Broncos at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Kubiak noted what has stood out to him about Bowers in their short time together. It is no secret that Bowers, along with several other factors, was a part of what drew Kubiak to the Raiders. After just a few practices in OTAs, Kubiak is eager to work with Bowers more.

“He’s kind of a football robot in a good way. He's a football robot from heaven, he's a Cadillac out there. We got to get the most out of Brock [Bowers]. Wherever he goes, he's been successful in college and high school with whoever's coached him. Can't say enough great things about him. Love his work ethic. He is a standard bearer,” Kubiak said.