Las Vegas tight end Brock Bowers showcased playmaking ability at the Raiders’ offseason program that left veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins impressed, according to ESPN. Cousins watched Bowers reel in an inside fade at practice and turned to backup Aidan O’Connell to confirm the play, underscoring how unusual Bowers’ combination of athleticism and pass-catching skill appears to Cousins.
Bowers arrived in the NFL with immediate impact, leading all tight ends with 1,194 receiving yards and setting the Raiders single-season receptions mark (112) as a rookie in 2024, according to ESPN. He did not match that production in 2025, finishing with 84 catches for 630 yards and seven touchdowns while battling a knee injury.
The 2025 downturn came after Bowers sustained a posterior cruciate ligament injury and a bone bruise in his left knee in the season-opening win over New England, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. He played through the injury for three games, then missed three more to recover. Despite the setback, Bowers posted a 74.4 percent catch rate, averaged 10.6 yards per reception and earned a Pro Bowl nod before being placed on injured reserve for the final two games, according to ESPN.
Spring practices offered a different look, as Bowers was practicing at full speed and appeared fully healthy during OTAs and mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN. The Raiders also brought in Klint Kubiak as offensive playcaller, and Kubiak has a track record of using varied alignments and motion to get the ball to primary targets. In Seattle, Kubiak helped position Jaxon Smith-Njigba for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns while deploying him out wide 74.9 percent of the time and in the slot 21.8 percent, according to ESPN.
Bowers already has route versatility that fits that approach: through two seasons he has lined up out wide on 19.8 percent of his routes, in the slot on 47.7 percent and in line on 26.1 percent, according to ESPN. Raiders coaches have emphasized getting the most out of Bowers, and that combination of health, a quarterback familiar with elite receivers and a playcaller who has schemed for similar personnel are the factors cited by ESPN that explain why his 2026 outlook has drawn optimism.
