The Las Vegas Raiders escaped with a victory in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season, but Brock Bowers' injury was a major dark cloud hanging over the building. Despite playing the next three weeks, he clearly hadn't recovered fully from the knee injury he suffered against the New England Patriots.
Although Raider Nation did not know the nature or severity of his injury, it seemed that, based on his practice status improving, his knee was feeling a lot better, and he'd be back to normal before fans knew it. Then, some brutal news broke before Week 5's game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Not only was Bowers downgraded to being a non-participant in practice, but despite Pete Carroll's optimism, he did not play last Sunday. ESPN's Adam Schefter also reported that Bowers has been dealing with a PCL injury, but he has refused to rest and let it fully heal.
Raiders should give Brock Bowers extended rest in already lost season
With the Raiders sitting in last place in the AFC West with a 1-4 record and seemingly having no solutions or changes they can make to get themselves out of this rut, Carroll and the coaching staff need to do the smart thing with Bowers and let him take an extended amount of time off to rest.
While Bowers has reportedly been against taking this course of action, it is ultimately up to the team to decide whether he is active or not. In this case, they need to protect this young and ambitious player from himself, like the team did with Maxx Crosby at the end of last season.
Having Bowers in the lineup is an obvious benefit to the offense, but given the way Geno Smith is playing, the second-year tight end has not been able to have a lasting impact on a game since he got hurt. He alone is not going to help lead this team and its plethora of issues to victory.
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So, to do right by him and protect his longevity, the Raiders just need to sideline him, at least in the short term. He would be an absolute nightmare for the Tennessee Titans in Week 6 and could easily tip the scales to help Las Vegas earn its second win of the season.
But the Raiders' upcoming schedule is a bit daunting, and they're not likely to be better than 4-8 heading into the final month of the season. They take on the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 7, which is not likely to go the Raiders' way.
With the bye week coming up in Week 8, Las Vegas should at least rest Bowers through then, giving him a full four weeks off before potentially trying to insert him in the lineup again in Week 9 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
It would be disappointing not to see Bowers on the field for so long, and it could be the final nail in the coffin for the season already. But this version of the Raiders is going nowhere fast, and they need to make sure that Bowers does not further damage his knee or jeopardize his long-term health.