After a dominating rookie season in which he broke the records for receptions by a rookie and receiving yards by a rookie tight end, injuries and offensive struggles have slowed the dominance of Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers in 2025.
While he was able to return from a PCL injury and bone bruise in his left knee that sidelined him for three weeks, Bowers’ presence has not been felt against the Cleveland Browns in the first half of Week 12. Let’s take a look at his slow start.
What Happened to Las Vegas Raiders TE Brock Bowers?
No, Bowers is not hurt; while he did miss some games earlier in the season, Bowers started the last three weeks for the Raiders. While he wasn’t able to make it into the end zone a week ago in Week 11, he was targeted 12 times, hauling in seven receptions for 72 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.
Unfortunately, his production did not follow him into the Week 12 matchup against the Browns, as Bowers has been targeted by quarterback Geno Smith three times, with two of them being caught for 20 yards. The outing feels more akin to his Week 10 performance against the Denver Broncos, where he caught one of three targets for 31 yards.
He’s yet to replicate his dominating comeback performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars, where he caught 12 of 13 targets for 127 yards and three touchdowns, his only trips to the end zone this season. However, he struggled to outline some of the issues facing the Raiders.
Las Vegas has the 30th-ranked offense in the NFL according to PFSN’s Offense Impact metric with an impact score of 62.3. That makes sense as they average 15.5 points per game through ten games.
As for Bowers, he’s seen his PFSN Tight End Impact ranking drop from 2024 to 2025. Amid his impressive First-team All-Pro rookie campaign, Bowers was the third-ranked TE with a score of 87.2. He’s dropped four spots as the seventh-ranked TE in 2025 with a score of 84.5 in seven games played.
Bowers has caught 39 passes for 455 yards and three touchdowns this season. While missing three games didn’t help, the overall incompetence of the Raiders’ offense this season will likely have him fall well short of his 1,194 receiving yard season in 2024. However, he may be able to set a new career high for receiving touchdowns after only catching five a season ago.
Whatever the case, the Raiders are going to be looking for answers under center after Smith’s struggles this season, so that they can take advantage of the talent of guys like Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty.
Editor’s Note: This is a breaking news story and will be updated throughout the day as more information becomes available.Â
