The Las Vegas Raiders are primed to have a much better season in 2026 than they did in 2025 and a healthy Brock Bowers is the key to that.
The Las Vegas Raiders organization is in a healthy spot after cleaning house within the coaching staff and being smart financially in the offseason.
Replacing almost all of the coaching staff and bringing in a Super Bowl-winning offensive coordinator to be head coach (Klint Kubiak) will work wonders for an offense that was the worst statistically in the National Football League last season.
Shoring up the biggest roster holes like quarterback, the offensive line and the defense was non-negotiable after finishing 3-14 a season ago, and doing so will drastically improve the team’s fortunes in 2026.
Something else that will drastically improve the team’s fortunes is the health of third-year All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers, who missed five games last year with a knee injury. Although he missed some time, he still had a solid season, producing 64 receptions for 680 yards and seven touchdowns.
But Bowers was especially great during his rookie season in which he played all 17 games. The 23-year-old Georgia product caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns, earning first-team All-Pro status and cementing himself as the next top star of the NFL.
If he’s healthy in 2026, Bowers paired with a phenomenal offensive mind and a veteran QB who loves to sling it to tight ends (or a rookie QB that has shown he can pass the ball) has all the makings of a historic season.
NFL.com’s Bobby Kownack believes Bowers could finish within the top five for receptions and receiving yards.
“Trey McBride set a single-season tight end record with 126 receptions in 2025,” Kownack wrote Friday. “This year, that could be Bowers. Whenever No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza takes the QB1 reins for the Raiders, he'll settle in best with easy targets to Bowers.
“Kirk Cousins spending time under center wouldn't be bad for Bowers, either. The 38-year-old's arm is best suited to work in the shorter-to-intermediate areas Bowers lives in.”
Being the top threat in the passing game will bode well for Bowers and having little competition for targets will set him up for a big season.
“Bowers managed to reach 1,194 receiving yards in 2024 as a rookie at a position with a notoriously difficult learning curve. Entering Year 3, he is the Raiders offense through the air.”
Considering how Jaxon Smith-Njigba was used with Kubiak calling plays, Bowers will be used the same way and essentially force-fed targets, creating a real path to leading all tight ends in yards and possibly the league depending on his usage and health.
