The Las Vegas Raiders' offense has not exactly met expectations thus far through three weeks of the 2025 NFL season. Part of the issue has certainly been star tight end Brock Bowers being hampered by a knee injury he sustained in Week 1 against the New England Patriots.
Backup tight end Michael Mayer, a stud in his own right, was expected to fill these very big shoes, or at least be able to take the pressure off Bowers with a potentially limited snap count, considering he has been hobbled. But the offensive line has ultimately derailed the offense's progress at every turn.
Mayer also got hurt playing special teams in Week 3 against the Washington Commanders, as he suffered a concussion while making a tackle on the punt coverage team. After not practicing this week, he was ruled out for Week 4's contest against the Chicago Bears.
Raiders elevate Carter Runyon and Albert Okwuegbunam for Week 4
That left the Raiders with just two healthy tight ends on the roster: Bowers and third-stringer Ian Thomas. Through the first three games, Thomas has played just 46 offensive snaps, and he has not exactly made a major impact.
But with Mayer sidelined, Las Vegas is looking to its practice squad for answers. On Saturday, the Raiders announced that they were elevating tight ends Carter Runyon and Albert Okwuegbunam for Sunday's contest.
Okwuegbunam was a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos, and he has 30 games of NFL experience under his belt, including seven starts. All told, he has caught 54 passes for 546 yards and four touchdowns in his career.
RELATED: Raiders should bite the bullet and cut ties with this veteran player
Runyon, however, joined the Silver and Black as an undrafted free agent this offseason out of FCS Towson. He has yet to play in a regular season contest, but he made a handful of plays during training camp and performed well during the Raiders' three-game preseason tilt.
Bowers and Thomas are still expected to garner the majority of the snaps, but both of these players should play on special teams, and perhaps in multi-tight-end sets. Okwuegbunam and Runyon both recorded incredible Pro Football Focus grades this preseason, which is why the Raiders kept them.
While Okwuegbunam caught just three passes for 24 yards, Runyon collected six catches for 74 yards during the preseason. Both have the capability to contribute, and it will be interesting to see if one of them stands out. Regardless, they have their bases covered for Mayer's injury.