The Las Vegas Raiders have only had a healthy Brock Bowers for one game, which was their Week 1 contest against the New England Patriots. Since then, he’s dealt with a knee injury.
Bowers did his best to play through the injury despite the injury as he wore a brace. However, eventually, the Raiders coaching staff shut him down for a couple of weeks to truly get healthy.
Now, coming off a bye week, all signs point to Bowers potentially playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the Raiders having arguably their best offensive weapon out on the field in Week 9, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen spoke about facing the young tight end.
“I think you look at last year and early in the season,” Coen told reporters about preparing to potentially face Bowers. “The first play of the season against the Patriots, they got him the ball on the very first play. When he’s healthy and available, he’s someone they definitely want to get the ball in his hands. As you go throughout the work week, you see, all right, where’s 89?
“We’ve got to make sure we understand where he is because he’s in the hip at tight end, he’s in an inline stance, he’s in the slot, he’s out at one. They want to move him around as the weapon that he is. I think we don’t want to say overprepare, but definitely lean more toward expecting them to get him going.”
Raiders Will Have to Worry About Travis Hunter
Still, Coen isn’t the only coach gearing up to contain a rising young offensive threat. In their upcoming matchup with Jacksonville, the Raiders will have to deal with two-way standout Travis Hunter. Ahead of the Week 9 game, head coach Pete Carroll shared his thoughts on going up against the impressive rookie.
“He’s not just a good fast kid that can play ball,” Carroll said on a recent episode of “1 on 1.” “He’s got great instincts. That’s why he could play on both sides of the football. I remember asking him at the combine, ‘Are you worried about playing both ways?‘ He said, ‘Heck no, I’ve always played both ways. ‘ He wasn’t even concerned about it.
“That’s the kind of guy who has the savvy and awareness that make him unique and special, and why they went so hard after getting him. He’s the centerpiece of their offense and, in particular, defense. Maybe they’re cutting back a little on that, but offensively, he did really well last week. He’s not just a catch guy; he’s a catch-and-run guy, and he blocks, too. He’s got a good mentality about him.”
Jaguars Will Need to Prepare for a New Raiders Player
The Jaguars will see a new face in a Raiders uniform when they take the field. On October 27, Las Vegas announced the signing of veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett, reuniting him with Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith.
Lockett began the 2025 NFL season with the Tennessee Titans but requested his release, which was granted on October 20. Before Lockett’s possible debut with the Raiders, Carroll spoke about reuniting with the former Seattle Seahawks standout.
“High hopes for him and high hopes for us that we can make a good connection here, “ Carroll said on the latest episode of “1 on 1.” “It’s a lot to ask a guy to jump in and be a regular player in a week’s time, but he’s going for it and we’ll see what happens by the end of the week. He’s in here over the weekend as soon as he found out that he was going to be a Raider.
“He’s a marvelous football player and a tremendous person; he’s one of the real natural ball players—he’s got great sense and feel and has always demonstrated that. Geno knows him really well. They’ve played together for quite some time, and there’s a chemistry between them that maybe can give us a little edge that we haven’t had with the younger guys who have been playing.
“We’ll see what happens and hold out good hopes for this to help us. I’m really excited for Tyler to be with us again, in a place where people love him, know who he is and what he’s all about, and hopefully our fans will be able to see that.”
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