Brock Bowers doesn’t tend to think about how productive he can be this season, his third as a tight end with the Las Vegas Raiders — and the focal point of their passing offense.
“I just go out there and try to do what I do,” he said Friday at Intermountain Health Performance Center. “I don’t really think about that. Just try to always be improving.”
Bowers was the best tight end in the NFL his rookie season with AP first-team All Pro honors to show for it, reward for 112 receptions, 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. A left knee injury sustained last year in the season-opener sidelined him for five games, limiting him in the other five en route to 64 receptions, 680 yards and seven touchdowns.
But with his health intact atop training camp, he’s dusting his defensive counterparts and reprising the role in the passing offense he seized at the start of his rookie season.
“Last season was definitely tough,” Bowers added from a tent next to the outdoor practice field. “Especially first game getting banged up a little bit. But definitely had to persevere and fight through some things throughout the year. We’ll see how it goes this year.”
Armed with equal parts speed, size and power, Bowers has proven a walking mismatch: too big for defensive backs and elusive for linebackers. With the ball in his hands, he’s quick and shifty, maneuvering his way past would-be tacklers — in the instance he isn’t initiating collisions.
Coach Klint Kubiak’s zone-run scheme activates Bowers as a blocker, but also as a featured pass catcher in play-action concepts or straight dropbacks. Play the pass, he’ll lay a bone-jarring block to open a crevice for a running back. Play the run and risk losing track of Bowers.
So far, it seems to be a perfect fit.
“Me and all the guys have been studying really hard and getting after it in the meetings,” Bowers said. “There’s a lot of attention to detail with this offense. So, I’m excited to see when we keep building on it and keep growing mentally.”
With Las Vegas short a prototype top receiver, Bowers will be called upon to once again draw the bulk of the defensive attention to open his pass-catching teammates around him. He said he honed in on injury prevention and spent the offseason “staying in shape … and really just focusing on football.”
The Raiders will be focused on getting him the ball.
“He’s amazing. He makes life a lot easier for everyone,” said wideout Tre Tucker, the leading receiver a year ago. “He’s been the best at what he’s done since he’s been in the league, and for or a guy like him, like I said, it opens up things for everyone. But he’s a very unselfish guy. He’s a team-first guy. I think that’s what makes him even more better. Love working with him.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
