The Las Vegas Raiders have gotten off to a stunning 2-0 start to the 2026 NFL season, and the best player on the team hasn't been on the field yet. But Brock Bowers nearly played last Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he's trending toward playing in Week 3 versus the New Orleans Saints.
In his absence, a lot has been revealed about this team, and they've fared just fine so far. But getting the centerpiece of the offense back can only help the cause, so if he's truly healthy and no concerns exist about him re-injuring himself or being at less than 100%, it will be great to have him back.
And Bowers' return will transform the offense. All signs point to him being available on Sunday, and if the Saints thought they were prepared for the Raiders based on the first two games, then they have no idea what is coming this weekend when Bowers is back in the mix.
Raiders' Brock Bowers seems trending toward a Week 3 return
Last weekend, the training staff worked out Bowers before the game against the Chargers, and it seemed like they gave him an honest shot at playing but did not ultimately pull the trigger. Kubiak noted that he just hadn't practiced enough, as he missed that Wednesday and Thursday completely.
"Brock went and worked out. He had a good workout, but didn't practice enough to play," Kubiak told reporters on Monday.
So, with Bowers officially limited on Wednesday, and assuming he suffers no setbacks and keeps that designation all week, he should be deemed to have practiced enough to play on Sunday, considering he was already looking good in workouts last week and presumably has been for about a week now.
Hopefully, he continues to trend in the right direction, and there is no doubt in his, the training staff's or the coaching staff's mind that Bowers will be fine out there. After all, New Orleans doesn't exactly have an answer for him, nor does anyone, really, and he'll take this Raiders offense to another level.
How Brock Bowers coming back can change Las Vegas' offense
Las Vegas' offense has impressed in the early going, as they are averaging 26.5 points per game, which ranks 10th in the league. And they've won in two completely different ways, one week by dominating on the ground, and the other by bombing the ball deep downfield.
Bowers is the equalizer, though, as he can do what nobody else on this roster has proven capable of so far: win consistently across the middle and in the intermediate area of the field. Kirk Cousins has had success throwing deep to Tre Tucker and short to others, but Bowers opens up a new dimension.
Plus, it can't be quantified how much attention he gets from opposing offensive coordinators, so the team's other route-runners should have opportunities to win 1-on-1s against more advantageous matchups. Tucker should run open deep more often, and dump-downs will be available underneath.
Not to mention, the threat of Bowers always keeps defenses on guard about the passing attack, and if Las Vegas is having success through the air, it'll make running the ball much easier. The team can disguise the run and pass even more with Bowers on the field.
Cousins finally started giving his receivers a chance in contested catch scenarios last week, and both Tucker and Cody White came down with impressive grabs. Just imagine what Bowers can do when given a chance on the rare occasions that he actually has a 1-on-1 matchup. It'll be a piece of cake.
From the fear that Bowers strikes and the attention that he garners to his flat-out production to him opening up a new element to this offense to him making it harder to assess what the Raiders will do to him making life easy on the run game, I'm out of breath describing the ways he transforms the unit.
If he does return in Week 3, and all signs point to that happening, then the Silver and Black's offense can go to the moon. Kubiak already has a suited 10, Jack, Queen and King in his hand. Bowers is the Ace in the hole.
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