Brock Bowers has missed much of the 2025 season, but he made a return in Week 9 that reminded everyone he is the top tight end in the league.
Brock Bowers had been out since Week 5 with a knee injury that he actually hurt in the season-opening win against the New England Patriots.
He tried to battle through the injury, but re-injured it in the loss to the Chicago Bears and has missed the last three games.
The Raiders have really struggled as of late, as they have been blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts by at least 31 points.
They needed some boost of energy for the team and the fans, and Bowers delivered in a huge way against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He had 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the 30-29 overtime loss.
No one benefited more from having Bowers back than quarterback Geno Smith. Smith had his best game for the Raiders this year, as he threw for 284 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
On the season, he has thrown for 1,701 yards, 11 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. In the three games he didn't have Bowers, he threw only one touchdown.
There hasn't been a lot to be excited about for the Raiders this year, but as the team moves forward, it is able to look at the fact they may have a generational player to build the offense around.
The Raiders selected Bowers with the 13th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and he quickly proved to be one of the best tight ends in the game. He finished his rookie season with 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. He was named to the Pro Bowl, as well as a First-team All-Pro.
The AFC West is one of the best divisions in the NFL, as the Denver Broncos, Los Angeles Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs are all teams capable of going on a deep run in the AFC.
For the Raiders, the rest of this season is about building some form of momentum headed into the off-season. Pete Carroll has shown the ability multiple times in his coaching career that he can rebuild a program or organization that is struggling.
As they look to become a contender in the AFC West in the future, they will be able to lean on the fact that they have a guy who is capable of becoming one of the best tight ends to ever play.
The Raiders will be back on the field on Thursday, as the travel to Denver to take on the Broncos.