The Las Vegas Raiders suffered a brutal beatdown at the hands of the Washington Commanders in Week 3 of the 2025 NFL season. The 41-24 final score was not quite as lopsided as the game felt, considering the Raiders tacked on two ultimately meaningless scores at the end.
While losing a game against a backup quarterback is disappointing, and dropping to 1-2 early in the season is not ideal, the Raiders also had to deal with the loss of a key player. Third-year tight end Michael Mayer went down with a concussion early in the game after making a tackle on a punt return.
Star tight end Brock Bowers is already hobbled by a knee injury he suffered in Week 1, so Mayer carving out a role and being productive was paramount. However, Mayer missed Wednesday's practice entirely, and Las Vegas may need to consider an unexpected alternative to fill the void.
Raiders should try Jack Bech as inline TE with Michael Mayer likely out
Considering that Mayer is unlikely to play in Week 4 against the Chicago Bears due to his concussion, the Raiders should seriously think about lining up rookie second-round wide receiver Jack Bech as an inline tight end.
Obviously, Bowers will command most of the snaps there in sets with just one tight end, but when the team goes with 12 or 13 personnel, meaning there are two or three tight ends on the field, there is an argument that Bech could be brought in alongside or in front of Ian Thomas.
Bech has gotten out to a slow start in his NFL career, playing just 27 snaps in three games and recording two catches for 33 yards. His two catches, however, have both been on long third-down conversions, one of which he showed great run-after-the-catch ability, and the other, great feet.
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As a freshman at LSU, Bech played primarily in the slot, but he also lined up as an inline tight end for 125 snaps. That year, he led the Tigers in receptions even though players like Malik Nabers, Brian Thomas Jr., Kayshon Boutte and Trey Palmer were all on the team.
Last week, Bech played a career-best 18 snaps, and he lined up as an inline tight end on two of them, according to Pro Football Focus. That role could increase even more with Mayer out and a week of practice to make this adjustment.
While he had plenty of success at TCU in his later college years lining up out wide, and he was drafted to be a wide receiver, this could be an easy way for the Raiders to get their young player going. He is an above-average run-blocker as well, which could help Ashton Jeanty break free.
Mayer's injury is certainly unfortunate for the team and devastating for him, as yet another obstacle lands in the young player's way. But if the team plays their cards right, they could see Bech emerge in Mayer's absence, and the whole pass-catching group could be flowing when Mayer returns.