Last season, injury played a major role in Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers failing to replicate or surpass his rookie-season production. From Week 1, Bowers dealt with a left knee injury that eventually led the Silver and Black to shut him down for the final games of the season.
Despite dealing with his injury, Bowers still played 437 pass snaps for the Raiders’ offense last season, leading to a 78.8 overall PFF grade. Moreover, he hauled in 64 receptions on 83 targets for 680 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Bowers also averaged 10.6 yards per reception and generated 296 yards after the catch. Ahead of his third season, The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen spoke with former Raiders offensive coordinator Scott Turner, who didn’t hold back his thoughts on the tight end.
“When you work with him on a day-to-day basis, the plays you guys have seen on game day, you get nine times that in practice,” Turner said in a July 16 video. “He’s one of the best football players I’ve ever been around.
“Just the day-to-day, his understanding, everything about the game comes really easily to him. You correct him on a technique, and he’ll never make the same mistake twice. He sees the big picture, so you can line him up in any different spot.”
Ex-Raiders OC Scott Turner on Why Brock Bowers Is Special
Moreover, Turner broke down the qualities that have helped Bowers emerge as one of the league’s best tight ends.
“I think if he just played receiver, if he wasn’t a tight end and just played receiver, he’d be very similar to Drake London in Atlanta,” Turner added. “He’s actually probably got a little more juice than London in terms of explosiveness and speed.
“The other thing is people knock him and say, ‘Oh, he’s really just a receiver playing tight end. He’s not a good blocker.’ But Brock is a good blocker because he’s explosive, understands leverage and is going to do everything the right way.”
Ashton Jeanty Is Another Las Vegas Player Earning Praise
Bowers isn’t the only young Raiders player getting praise in recent weeks as Ashton Jeanty is one of the building blocks in this rebuild. Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report recently noted that Jeanty is the most promising building block for the Raiders.
“The Las Vegas Raiders certainly hope that rookie quarterback and first overall pick Fernando Mendoza will become a franchise building block in the not-too-distant future,” Knox wrote in a July 5 article. “With Kirk Cousins also in the fold, that may not happen this season.
“However, there’s a good chance that 2025 first-round pick Ashton Jeanty will emerge as a star this year. Jeanty, who was taken sixth overall out of Boise State, was expected to be a difference-making do-it-all running back in the mold of Saquon Barkley or Bijan Robinson.”
Despite a challenging rookie season, Jeanty posted respectable numbers for the Raiders, earning a 70.4 overall PFF grade while playing 770 snaps for the Silver and Black last season.
Jeanty carried the ball 266 times for 975 rushing yards and five touchdowns as he averaged 3.7 yards per attempt on the ground while forcing 61 missed tackles as a runner. Meanwhile, in the passing game, Jeanty caught 55 passes on 68 targets for 346 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
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