When the Las Vegas Raiders selected tight end Brock Bowers with the 13th overall pick of the NFL Draft last year, there were some who felt that the Raiders had actually bagged the best player in the class.
Bowers may have proven those people right in Year 1, hauling in 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance and a First-Team All-Pro selection.
The 22-year-old might already be the best tight end in football, so Las Vegas should be doing it all it can to cultivate him, right? Well, unfortunately, the Raiders may be on the verge of making a huge mistake with Bowers.
Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus has pointed out how much Las Vegas used fellow tight end Michael Mayer in the preseason, indicating that Bowers may see some of his targets nerfed during the regular season.
"During the regular season, both tight ends are expected to see more playing time, especially with increased usage of 12 personnel," Jahnke wrote. "The team should also face more third-down situations, and Bowers figures to be heavily involved in two-minute drills and come-back scenarios. Still, this usage trend suggests Mayer will continue to take snaps from Bowers in neutral 11-personnel sets, potentially limiting Bowers' route volume and making it harder for him to match his 2024 target total."
The Raiders did spend a second-round pick on Mayer back in 2023, so there definitely is a sense of urgency to get him on the field. But doing so at the expense of Bowers just doesn't seem right.
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If anything, Las Vegas should be shopping Mayer around to see if there are any takers around the NFL for the youngster. Surely, there is a team out there that would be willing to part with a Day 3 pick for Mayer, and even if it isn't the value the Raiders initially placed on the Notre Dame product, it would at least allow Bowers to roam more freely.
Las Vegas should be doing everything in its power to get Bowers as many touches as possible in 2025, especially with a rather thin receiving corps. But if Mayer does see the field as much as he did in the Raiders' exhibition games, that could spell big trouble for Bowers this fall.
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