Las Vegas Raiders coach Klint Kubiak confirmed at his news conference Friday morning what had been reported Wednesday afternoon, hours after he left the podium.
Tight end Brock Bowers won’t play Sunday against the Miami Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium.
Kubiak’s optimism notwithstanding.
The first-year coach told reporters Wednesday he expected a healthy roster Sunday, hours before ESPN reported Bowers underwent a left meniscus repair. His answer to a question about the status of Bowers and defensive end Maxx Crosby — who didn’t play during the preseason — called into question his forthrightness.
“We’re expecting to have all of our guys ready for Sunday,” Kubiak said Wednesday morning at Intermountain Health Performance Center. The NFL’s policy for media doesn’t require truthfulness from coaches during news conferences, mandating it instead on injury reports.
Bowers wasn’t in uniform for the portion of practice open to reporters and ESPN reported Wednesday afternoon the onetime All-Pro was set to miss “a game or two.” Kubiak said Friday the need for surgery for Bowers was discovered “pretty quick. I don’t remember exactly what day. But, yeah, he got it cleaned up and we’ll get him back soon.”
Bowers has been ruled out after missing the week of practice, and as for the reported return-to-play timeline, Kubiak declined to confirm or deny it. “Hope to get him back as soon as possible,” Kubiak said, adding he remained optimistic Bowers could have played Sunday after his procedure. Plagued last season by a balky left knee that cost him five games of his sophomore season, Bowers is rehabilitating at the team’s facility in Henderson.
“He’s a champion,” Kubiak said of Bowers.
As for the active roster Sunday, Kubiak said rookie quarterback Fernando Mendoza will back up starting quarterback Kirk Cousins with Aidan O’Connell serving as the emergency quarterback. Kubiak noted Mendoza is preparing the way he did throughout training camp to debut Sunday afternoon.
Potentially.
“He treats every day like a game and every down like it’s fourth-and-1,” Kubiak said, suggesting he’ll be ready to play if need be. “That’s the life of an NFL backup. That’s why he’s got to be the most mature guy in the room. A guy that can prepare on his own in the darkness, in the shadows, and when called upon, go win the game.”
Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.
