Raiders Tight Ends: Pre-Training Camp Position Preview

HENDERSON, Nev.—The Las Vegas Raiders will open their highly anticipated 2026 NFL training camp in just 17 days, and it will be one of the most scrutinized camps in all of the NFL.

As we do each July, we began a series yesterday with the running backs, breaking down each position group.

Our analysis is not confined to each player at the position currently on the roster. Additionally, we offer multiple scouting reports that project whether a player makes the coveted 53-man roster, the practice squad, or gets cut.

Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Some tough decisions await GM John Spytek, who will have to deliver the final 53-man roster to the NFL offices on Sunday, August 30, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. ET (3:00 p.m. PT). This change is major compared to the past, when cuts were due on the Tuesday following the final preseason games.

As we preview each position, we will place next to each position group how many players we project the Raiders to carry at that spot. Each is assisting this monumental franchise rebuild.

Las Vegas Raiders Thomas Harper, Brock Bowers, and Michael Mayer | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Today, we take the tight end position under the microscope. Klint Kubiak’s offense is predicated on quality tight-end play at the point of attack and downfield, and this position will have a major say in how the season plays out.

Tight End: Three

I expect the Raiders to have carried 25 offensive players when John Spytek submits his final roster to Roger Goodell, and while I could see that holistically moving from 24-26, today I think three of those players will be tight ends.

No. 1: Brock Bowers, 6’4” 235 lbs.

The best tight end in the game of football, despite having only played two seasons, will be an offensive cornerstone.

Equally as good a human being as he is a player, he can play nearly every position, and is a mandatory double-team for every defensive coordinator, who loves to attack as a blocker and decapitate people.

Despite already being the best in the NFL, Bowers has barely scratched the surface of the position that he is redefining, and while it is early, it seems destined for him to put on the gold coat in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day.

Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers from Training Camp — Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers | Darrell Craig Harris, Sports Illustrated

He is a stellar member of the community, has a football IQ through the roof, and even on a team with a legend like Maxx Crosby, no one outworks him. Bowers never repeats mistakes, and NFL minds across the league who aren’t playing him each week are excited to see the multiple ways that Klint Kubiak uses him.

Even in the collapse of 2025, Bowers still shone and is a simple athletic machine.

No. 2: Michael Mayer, 6’4” 256 lbs.

The Raiders thought they had the steal of the 2023 NFL Draft when the player they had rated as the best tight end in the draft fell to them. Whether it was health or personal issues, Mayer has struggled.

He played in only 13 games, missing four with injury, while catching 35 passes and scoring one touchdown.

Mayer has not lived up to the hype, and he has to immediately. He is a terrific young man, but this isn’t a popularity contest; it is NFL football, and a slow start to camp, while certainly not an expectation, combined with an emergence of someone else, could spell a trade.

Las Vegas Raiders Michael Mayer | | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

I don’t know anyone rooting against Mayer, but I do know several watching with a more critical eye than ever on the former Fighting Irish star.

No. 3: Ian Thomas 6’3” 255 lbs.

Las Vegas Raiders TE Ian Thomas | Darrell Craig Harris, On SI

Thomas has the edge over Runyon for the coveted third and final spot. He is primarily a blocker who works as hard as anyone. His hands are suspect, but as a blocker, he is devastating. A special team’s weapon is where he finds his edge over Runyon.

No. 4: Carter Runyon, 6’4 1/2” 243 lbs.

This young man is fascinating to me. Not the blocker that Thomas is, but the former offensive tackle is a solid blocker and an All-American. Tremendously athletic, he runs a 4.6 forty-yard dash, but he has surprising hands as a receiver. 32” arms and 10” hand size show off why the Raiders really like this developmental player.

He must maintain his steady blocking and further develop his special teams skills, but I believe he could move past Thomas.

The battle for the third tight end today has Thomas ahead, but the young Runyon, while on the outside of the 53-man roster today, has a legit shot of moving up. Thomas is 30, and Runyon is 26, which gives Runyon a slight long-term edge the closer the battle gets. Not sure the Raiders would be able to hide him on the practice squad, but the more you hear his name in training camp, the more Raider Nation should be celebrating this battle.

*No. 5 Connor Heyward (FB/HB), 5’11” 230# lbs.

Heyward is going to make the team as the fullback, but he offers the position flexibility Kubiak and Spytek crave. He has vast experience playing tight end as well. I wrote about Heyward yesterday: “He is not only the fullback Klint Kubiak’s offense craves, but he also can play tight end as well, offering the Raiders, should they choose to exercise it, the chance to keep only three tight ends, because he would fulfill the role as the fourth.”

Others on the Roster Trying To Impress

KLINT KUBIAK | DARRELL CRAIG HARRIS, ON SI

The Raiders also have two players currently on the active roster who will need fast, consistent starts to get attention. One is an experienced veteran; the other is a developmental rookie, but I can tell you both men are here because they have piqued the Raiders' interest, and they will get a fair shot.

Albert Okwuegbunam Jr.	6'5"	258#	Six Years in the NFL
Patrick Gurd	6'4"	250#	Rookie

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