The Las Vegas Raiders got off to a nice start to the 2025 season on the road.
In Week 1, new head coach Pete Carroll’s squad traveled to face the New England Patriots, which resulted in a 20-13 win as the team debuted a new-look offense that now features Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty. However, there was some concern for the team’s top weapon in its passing game.
Tight end Brock Bowers left the Week 1 matchup with an injury after coming up limping following a big hit to his legs. While indications are that Bowers avoided a long-term ailment, will he be available for the Raiders in their Week 2 game against the Los Angeles Chargers?
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Here’s the latest on Bowers’ status for “Monday Night Football.”
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Is Brock Bowers playing this week?
Bowers’ Week 2 status remains up in the air. Initially, there was some concern that the tight end could miss extensive time, as the hit he took that led to him limping was to his legs. Bowers has been listed with a knee injury by the Raiders.
#Raiders Brock Bowers – Video suggests MCL sprain
Meniscus, ACL possible but suspect they’re less likely here
If MCL alone, absence would typically be short-term pic.twitter.com/wBWSAtw3eU
— Deepak Chona, MD. SMA (@SportMDAnalysis) September 7, 2025
When Bowers exited vs. New England, he was ruled questionable to return but did not come back in the game. Carroll said the tight end wanted to return in the matchup, but they decided to hold him back.
“He’s an incredible player so we need to have him,” Carroll said this week, per Ryan McFadden.
Bowers also did not practice on Thursday. While the tight end has it working in his favor that Las Vegas had an extra day of rest for a Monday night matchup, his absence from practice wasn’t encouraging for his Week 2 status.
While Bowers was observing Thursday’s practice, he did not participate while having a sleeve over his left knee.
Bowers wearing a sleeve on his left knee as he stands on the sideline. pic.twitter.com/HVF1pYTMeN
— Ryan McFadden (@ryanmcfadden_) September 11, 2025
Carroll also said the Raiders have been approaching Week 2 as if Bowers will play, and the tight end told reporters that he’s “hoping to play” against the Chargers as he sees how his knee feels.
Because the extent of Bowers’ knee injury is largely unknown, there are still no clear indications of whether or not he’ll be able to play in Week 2. Carroll’s assessment was an encouraging sign, but Bowers’ lack of practice this week was the opposite. Â
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What is Brock Bowers injury?
All that’s known about Bowers’ injury is that it’s to his left knee. It happened as the result of a hit he took to the legs in Week 1, and Bowers began limping a bit shortly after. The injury prevented Bowers from practicing on Thursday, and he was wearing a sleeve over his left knee.
Bowers’ injury isn’t expected to be long-term, or else Las Vegas would have already announced that. But there’s been some mixed signals for his Week 2 status, between his absence from practice and head coach Pete Carroll saying he expects Bowers to play on Monday night.
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Raiders TE depth chart
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | Brock Bowers (questionable) |
| 2 | Michael Mayer |
| 3 | Ian Thomas |
If Bowers isn’t able to play on “Monday Night Football,” it would be former second-round pick Michael Mayer who saw the majority of the Raiders’ tight end snaps. Following Bowers’ injury in Week 1, Mayer stepped up, finishing with four catches for 38 yards.
While Mayer hasn’t fully lived up to the expectations Las Vegas likely had when it selected him 35th overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, that’s also partially due to Bowers’ presence. Mayer totaled 304 yards and two touchdowns in his rookie season, but with Bowers in the fold in 2024, he had just 156 yards and no scores.
The Raiders’ offensive game plan would likely shift without Bowers, so Mayer wouldn’t be expected to put up huge numbers as Jeanty, Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker saw an uptick in production. But Mayer is still a young, talented tight end who should be able to hold his own in Bowers’ potential absence, especially based off his Week 1 performance.
Behind Mayer on the depth chart is Ian Thomas, a 29-year-old tight end who joined Las Vegas in the offseason following a seven-year run with the Carolina Panthers.
Thomas’ best NFL season was as a rookie in 2018 (333 receiving yards, two touchdowns), so he likely wouldn’t have a significant role even without Bowers, but he would serve as the second-fiddle to Mayer in the scenario that the Raiders’ No. 1 pass catcher is out on Monday night.
