Why the Raiders Should Have Zero Brock Bowers Concerns

The Las Vegas Raiders' offense was projected to be better than it actually was before last season began. With the hiring of Pete Carroll and Chip Kelly as offensive coordinators, it looked like they could improve their rushing attack and have an exciting offense.

That banked on the assumption that Geno Smith would look like how he did in his career revival with the Seattle Seahawks, which couldn't have been further from how his time in the Silver and Black went. His quarterback play was so poor that it dramatically impacted Brock Bowers' production and impact on their offense. Do the Raiders have to worry about their star tight end heading into next season?

Second-Year Slump

Nov 30, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) makes a touchdown catch against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Nic Bodiford writes for Pro Football Focus, and he wrote an article on the outlook of a couple of disappointing second-year players. Despite Bowers' drop in production, the Raiders shouldn't be worried because he was working through an injury and had to deal with worse quarterback play than he did in his rookie season.

"Bowers finished as the half-PPR Weeks 1-17, 2024 overall TE2 in his rookie season. He finished as the half-PPR Weeks 1-17, 2025 overall TE8 in his second NFL season despite playing through a PCL sprain suffered in Week 1, which eventually led to his placement on injured reserve in Week 17", said Bodiford.

Smith's lack of balls thrown Bowers way may have been because of his lingering injury, but he had performances last season that gave a glimpse of his playmaking skills he flashed in his rookie season. He had a sensational game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he had three receiving touchdowns and 127 yards, where he caught 12 of the 13 passes headed his way.

"Bowers also sat out in Weeks 5-7, in an unsuccessful attempt to let the injured ligament heal. He earned a 78.8 PFF offense grade this year after earning an 85.4 PFF offense grade as a rookie. Bowers caught 64-of-83 targets for 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns this season".

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza (15) smiles as he celebrates after the College Football Playoff National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens on Monday, Jan. 19, 2026. | Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Another reason why the Raiders don't have to worry about Bowers next season is that he'll have a better signal caller and head coach to scheme him open. The Raiders' lack of receiving weapons may make it harder for Fernando Mendoza to target Bowers on each play, but I trust that Klint Kubiak will find creative ways to get him in one-on-one matchups where he can take advantage of that.

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