The Las Vegas Raiders have invested more in the tight end position than any other NFL franchise over the last several seasons. In 2023, the team traded up in the second round for Notre Dame's Michael Mayer, and in 2024, the Raiders grabbed Georgia's Brock Bowers with the No. 13 overall selection.
While Mayer has endured his share struggles early in his career, he has more natural talent to tap into than almost any other tight end in the league. Bowers, however, has already cemented himself among the NFL's best in just one season.
With new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly now calling plays for the Silver and Black, many have spent the offseason trying to figure out how he will utilize the team's unique set of weapons.
Chip Kelly has a unique plan for Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer
Coordinators will typically keep their approach a secret until it gets put on film during the preseason or early in the regular season. However, Mayer might have spilled the beans a bit when he spoke at Raiders media day on Monday.
"With me and Brock, it's pretty interesting because we do a lot of 12 personnel stuff," Mayer said. "You know, this spring, we've also been doing a lot of 13 personnel, too, which has been awesome. It's been a lot of fun."
12 personnel would mean that the team has two tight ends on the field, whereas 13 personnel would mean that the team has three.
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It may be fun for Raider Nation to hear about the team's plans ahead of time, as it gives them a sense of what to prepare for. However, if other teams get ahold of this press conference, then it could spoil a potential surprise for opposing defenses.
Another thing for Raider Nation to wonder about is who that third tight end might be. Veteran Ian Thomas certainly drew plenty of praise at Monday's press conference, but there is also a chance that rookie second-round pick Jack Bech could be playing a hybrid role.
Given his size, physicality and willingness to block, many have theorized that he could flip back and forth between the two positions. This could cause uncertainty for other teams if the Raiders can disguise their personnel grouping with a player like Bech.
While the sky is far from falling because of Mayer's reveal, it would stand to reason that Chip Kelly may have a little discussion with the young player about what he wants revealed to the public. When the team is dominating defenses because of their incredible tight end prowess, however, it won't matter much anyway.