Brock Bowers, the tight end for the Las Vegas Raiders, is projected to play this week. Days of missed practice through a knee injury left him questionable for the game, but he intends to see the field. Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll restored fan sanity by denying Bowers went backwards at any point in this stretch.
Bowers, who’s been dealing with a right knee injury since the season opener against the New England Patriots, had undergone surgery on the knee last season. He’s played through the pain with a brace and sleeve on his left knee, but he’s been intent on finding ways to get better.
“It’s painful, sore, just annoying and frustrating because I want to be back to full strength and going full speed, being able to separate from guys,” Bowers expressed regarding his current condition.
In last week’s Thursday night game against the Chicago Bears, Bowers was by far the Raiders’ leading receiver with 46 yards on three catches. In fact, he never eclipsed 50 receiving yards over that three-game stretch. Nevertheless, he managed to accumulate 14 grabs for 122 yards on the year, including a memorable five-catch, 103-yard explosion in Week 1 of this season.
According to coach Carroll, it was always part of their plan to bring Bowers along this way. “We just want to make sure and slow it down a little bit and give him some extra rest. That’s really what we try to do,” he stated. Carroll expressed that the coaching staff is still focused on using Bowers’ skills in creative ways. “We’re still trying to get the ball to him and use all of the great skills that he has. So, nothing’s changed in that regard.”
Beyond Bowers, the Raiders will be up against other injury adversity this week. Michael Mayer, the other rookie tight end, is questionable after missing last week’s game with a concussion. They opted to put starting left tackle Kolton Miller on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain. Linebacker Brennan Jackson joins him on the list with a foot injury.
It was a great step for the Raiders as they continue building their roster to compete for championships. They activated wide receiver Alex Bachman from the practice squad to the active roster.
Bowers is continuing to do very well as he recovers. He’s encouraged that he’ll be out of the brace in the next few weeks, and thinks that will improve his game even further.
Leave a Reply