One of the Las Vegas Raiders‘ strengths entering the 2025 NFL season was at tight end. Brock Bowers burst onto the scene last campaign, and Michael Mayer is a solid No. 2 option.
Many assumed that these two would feature heavily in the Raiders’ offense under new head coach Pete Carroll and the arrival of Geno Smith. However, injuries have limited the impact that the two tight ends can have, and one of the reasons that Las Vegas are 1-4.
Bowers played through his knee injury, but wasn’t as effective as he was in Week 1 and missed the Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile, Mayer suffered a concussion in the Week 3 loss to the Washington Commanders and had been out for the last two games.
Ahead of the Week 6 game against the Tennessee Titans, Carroll updated his two key players.
“Michael Mayer will be out there [on Wednesday] to get him back,” Carroll said while speaking to the media on October 8. “Brock is still kind of day-to-day [right now] as we’re going along this one, trying to make sure that he’s ready to come back and stay back.”
Brock Bowers Not Being 100 Percent Has Hurt the Raiders
Before the Colts game, the Raiders continued to play Bowers even though he was dealing with a knee issue. However, team radio play-by-play announcer Jason Horowitz pointed out that Bowers’ limited mobility allowed defenses to adjust more easily, since opponents didn’t have to focus as much of their game plan on containing the standout tight end.
“I don’t know if there’s a percentage you could put on this, but not having a healthy Brock Bowers plays a role in this offense,” Horowitz said after the Raiders’ Week 3 loss to the Commanders. Kirk Morrison has talked about it throughout the course of the broadcast against the Chargers and then [against the Commanders].
“Defenses are playing this team differently when Brock Bowers is not a threat to go for 50 yards, and I think that plays a major factor in what is different from Week 1 to now.”
Raiders Also Miss Michael Mayer
Mayer was drafted out of Notre Dame with the expectation that he’d develop into a No. 1 option, but he could now settle into a strong complementary role behind Bowers. In September, Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly spoke highly of Mayer, emphasizing how much the team values him and views him as an important piece of their offense.
“I’ve been a huge Mike fan since I got here, and Pete [Carroll is] right,” Kelly said on September 12 while speaking to the media. “Not many people have the luxury of two talented players like that. “I’ll throw Ian in there too—he played 20 snaps himself. Having three tight ends who can play and have proven themselves in the NFL is a big deal.”
It will be interesting to see if the Silver and Black can get their two tight ends back for the Week 6 game against the Titans, as the Raiders’ passing game needs a jolt of positive news amid their four-game losing streak.
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