The hiring of Pete Carroll automatically, for better or worse, put the Las Vegas Raiders in "win now" mode. The roster being equipped to compete on that level was the big question, and the results through 13 games of the 2025 NFL season speak for themselves, as Las Vegas owns a 2-11 record.
Weeks ago, the Raiders should have leaned into giving younger players more opportunities. But Carroll has consistently squashed that idea unless circumstances have forced it, since it would be an open acknowledgment that the season is lost and the future is now at the forefront.
One young player Carroll did advocate for early in the season was rookie wide receiver Jack Bech. With his call for Bech to play more heading into Week 5, the second-rounder from TCU played 82 offensive snaps over the next two games and 104 snaps over the three games heading into the bye.
After the week off, however, Bech's playing time inexplicably faded again with just 32 total offensive snaps over a four-game stretch, including zero in Week 9. However, coincidentally, he played 27 offensive snaps in the first game after offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired.
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As fellow rookie wide receiver Dont'e Thornton Jr. has faded from view, partially due to injury, the runway for Bech to assert himself as a future key contributor over the rest of the season seems to be clear. The big question was whether he'd get the opportunity to prove himself in that way.
On Sunday against the Denver Broncos, Bech did, as he played a season-high 82% of the Raiders' offensive snaps. He was also the team's leader in both catches and receiving yards, catching all six of his targets for 50 yards.
There is a key caveat though.
Four of Bech's catches against the Broncos came in the fourth quarter when Kenny Pickett was under center in place of an injured Geno Smith. If Smith doesn't end up missing any games due to his hand or shoulder issues, Bech might struggle to keep building late-season momentum.
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It's very telling that Bech had such instant in-game rapport with Pickett, with likely roots in working together on the second-team offense in practice. That, or Pickett is just a better quarterback at this juncture who finds the open man, which is what Bech tends to be.
Bech really should have been no worse than the Raiders' No. 3 wide receiver from the start of this season. The trade of Jakobi Meyers didn't immediately open up playing time for him, as Carroll brought former Seahawk Tyler Lockett in to siphon snaps instead.
Against the Broncos, all was right with the Raiders' wide receiver pecking order, however. Bech only trailed Tre Tucker in snaps, and he played 11 more snaps than Lockett. If that doesn't remain the template over the final four games of the season, then something is wrong.
Ultimately, it was not surprising that Bech only needed one game (or one quarter?) to prove that he should have been playing noticeable offensive snaps on a consistent basis all season long. His rise is becoming hard for the coaching staff in Las Vegas to ignore, but Raider Nation knew it all along.