The Las Vegas Raiders made a move that many fans saw coming after Sunday's embarrassing 24-10 loss to the Cleveland Browns. Shortly after the game, the team announced that they had fired offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, marking the second coordinator fired in just three weeks.
The following day, Pete Carroll revealed that quarterbacks coach Greg Olson would step in as the interim offensive coordinator. It will mark his third stint in the role, having previously served as the franchise's offensive coordinator from 2013-14 and 2018-21.
The Raiders did not have the most success during Olson's previous two stints, with 2020 marking the only year the unit finished as a top-10 scoring offense. His most recent tenure, however, shows that Brock Bowers could benefit from the move.
Brock Bowers should love Greg Olson's being named interim OC
Bowers had an elite rookie season in 2024, as he finished with 1,194 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 112 receptions. He set several rookie and Raiders franchise records, and was named a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler.
While many expected him to have an even better season in 2025 with Geno Smith under center and Chip Kelly calling plays, that has not been the case. Bowers had a strong season opener, but was forced to leave with a knee injury in the third quarter.
He attempted to play through the injury over the next three weeks, but his production suffered, and he ultimately missed the next three games. In his return to the field in Week 9, he had a monster game, finishing with 12 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns.
He received just three targets the following week, however, proving that his role in Kelly's offense was largely inconsistent. The recent move to name Olson the interim offensive coordinator could lead to an increase in production, which Fantasy Points' Ryan Heath noted.
"When new Raiders playcaller Greg Olson was an OC: 2018: A 31-year-old Jared Cook leads the team with 101 targets 2019: Darren Waller leads the team with 117 targets in his first year playing TE 2020: Waller leads with 145 targets 2021: Waller gets hurt but averages 8.5 targets per game"
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Olson also targeted the tight ends frequently during his first stint with the Raiders, as Mychal Rivera received 60 targets despite making just three starts as a rookie in 2013 and 99 targets the following year.
Bowers is clearly Las Vegas' best weapon in the passing game and better than any of the aforementioned players on that list. But for some reason, he was often underutilized with Kelly calling the plays.
While the Raiders are currently 2-9 and should be focused more on player development instead of winning games, Bowers is a big part of the team's present and future. If Olson can get the superstar tight end involved more frequently, that alone would justify the decision to move on from Kelly.
Las Vegas will have plenty of holes, on both the coaching staff and roster, to address in the offseason. The final six weeks of the season can serve as an early audition for Olson to potentially have the interim title removed from his role.
If he can get the most out of Bowers and rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, that will go a long way to remaining the Raiders' offensive coordinator. Even if he just propels Bowers back into the space that he was in last season, promoting Olson will end up being a worthwhile endeavor.