The Las Vegas Raiders certainly do not need help at the tight end position. After trading up to land Notre Dame star Michael Mayer in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the team doubled up by taking Georgia's Brock Bowers No. 13 overall in 2024.
While Mayer has gotten off to a slow start in his NFL career, Bowers blossomed in his first season. Bowers earned a spot on the All-Pro First-Team as a rookie after a historic campaign in 2024, and Mayer is poised for a Year 3 breakout under new head coach Pete Carroll.
As a result of these two being the future of the tight end room in Las Vegas, Caroll and new general manager John Spytek felt comfortable not re-signing Harrison Bryant this offseason. Bryant was signed to a one-year deal in free agency by the team last offseason.
Former Raiders TE Harrison Bryant traded from Eagles to Texans
Bryant, after not being brought back by the Raiders, signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency. After two weeks of the preseason, however, the Eagles announced that they were trading Bryant to the Houston Texans in exchange for wide receiver John Metchie III.
Once a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft after winning the John Mackey Award and earning First-Team All-American honors in his final season at Florida Atlantic, Bryant is now on his third NFL roster in the last six months.
Last season, Bryant played in 13 games for the Silver and Black, starting three. He played a pivotal role, filling in for Mayer when he was away from the team, recording 89 receiving yards on nine catches, five of which went for first downs.
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Bryant was actually predicted to be a starter or at least a key role player in the Eagles' tight end room by some, which would indicate that he was merely buried behind two talented young players in Las Vegas. However, general manager Howie Roseman clearly thought he was a more valuable trade chip.
Now, he'll head to Houston, where he'll be unlikely to supplant veteran Dalton Schultz as a starter. He should have every opportunity, however, to compete with Cade Stover, Irv Smith Jr. and rookie Luke Lachey for a rotational spot.
It is clear that Las Vegas made the right move letting Bryant walk, especially because they replaced him with a veteran like Ian Thomas and a smattering of young players like Carter Runyon, Qadir Ismail and Albert Okwuegbunam.