Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup against the New Orleans Saints after missing the first two weeks of the NFL season with a knee injury and undergoing September surgery to trim his meniscus.
Brock Bowers Questionable for Las Vegas Raiders Against New Orleans Saints
The Las Vegas Raiders head into Week 3 facing a pivotal decision regarding their star tight end. After missing the team’s opening victories against the Miami Dolphins and Los Angeles Chargers following a pre-season procedure to get his knee cleaned up, Brock Bowers received a questionable designation for the upcoming game in New Orleans.
Head coach Klint Kubiak addressed the media regarding the tight end’s availability for the weekend contest.
I'm optimistic,
Kubiak said about Bowers playing this week.
Practice Status and Recovery Timeline Under Scrutiny
Bowers returned to practice last week and pushed to suit up for the Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Chargers. He went through a pre-game workout with much of the Raiders coaching staff and front office watching, but the team ultimately exercised caution and kept him on the sideline. Kubiak said postgame that Bowers was “very close” to playing. This week, Bowers participated in each of the team’s first two practices in a limited capacity before sitting out Friday’s session.
Kubiak announced Friday that Bowers is questionable to play this week against the New Orleans Saints. Sam Warren of The Athletic reported that Kubiak said his non-participation was part of the plan today. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported earlier this week that Bowers was expected to play, and all signs are pointing towards Bowers’ return. Kubiak added that the Raiders will not put Bowers through a pre-game workout to determine his availability like they did last week when Bowers didn’t play.
Su’a Cravens Voices Concern Over Brock Bowers’ Recovery Timeline
The rapid timeline from surgery on Sept. 8 to a potential return less than three weeks later has drawn external criticism. Su’a Cravens, a former NFL safety, voiced concern over the swift progression on social media, posting: “I’ve had my meniscus scoped 4 times. Was rushed back each time and tore it over and over again to the point I didn’t have a meniscus to scope. Now it’s bone on bone with a fracture that grows each year and is 10/10 pain to twist or turn and run. They’re gonna ruin this man’s career with injuries at this rate!”
Offensive Production and Betting Outlook Without Bowers
Despite missing their best offensive player and top pass-catcher, the Raiders have orchestrated a surprising 2-0 start without him. Las Vegas ranks 18th in the NFL with -0.07 offensive EPA per play, but the team has put up 26.5 points per game, tied for 10th-best in the league. The offense has relied on different weapons in each outing, leaning heavily on running backs Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. in the opener against Miami where they accounted for 188 of 290 total yards, before the Chargers handled Jeanty last week, limiting him to 63 total yards on 25 carries.
Having been selected at No. 13 in the 2024 NFL Draft, the young pass-catcher secured five touchdowns and 1,194 yards across 153 targets during his debut campaign, and subsequently exceeded his initial scoring output last year within just 12 appearances by recording 64 receptions, 680 yards, and seven touchdowns.
Sharp Football Analysis Tabs Brock Bowers as Week 3 TD Scorer Pick
If Bowers returns to the lineup against the 1-1 Saints, analysts expect him to immediately resume a central role as Kirk Cousins’ go-to offensive option. The Sharp Football Analysis team tabbed Bowers as being their anytime TD scorer pick for the Week 3 matchup on the horizon, noting: “Klint Kubiak had the novel idea of feeding his best passing-game weapon in Seattle with an ungodly target share last year. He hasn’t had Bowers at his disposal yet, but Kubiak will presumably feature Las Vegas’ best passing-game option. The tight end should also benefit from facing Brandon Staley’s defense. The Saints have a 67.1% single-high coverage rate this year and 60.7% since last year. Bowers has beaten up single-high coverage to the tune of a 26% target rate per route run and 1.97 Y/RR in his career.” DraftKings Sportsbook lists him with odds of +225 to find the end zone at any point during the upcoming Week 3 contest.
In the event that Bowers cannot go, Michael Mayer has looked solid through two weeks and will be the starting tight end for another week, seeing a large share of targets in the passing attack. A win in New Orleans would be impressive for the Raiders, currently ranked No. 22 in FTW’s Power Rankings, as they look to move to 3-0.
Worth a look
