The Las Vegas Raiders are set to play their season-opener on Sunday afternoon when they meet the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1. As of right now, the Raiders are expected to have their 2024 first-round pick and tight end, Brock Bowers, on the field.
Bowers has been sidelined with a foot injury since the preseason Week 1 game versus the Minnesota Vikings, when he tallied two catches for 25 yards in what was an impressive debut for the Georgia product.
However, head coach Antonio Pierce has provided nothing but positive updates since then and indicated that Bowers sitting out was done as a precaution.
“Yeah, I feel really good about that to be honest,” Pierce said of Bowers' chances of playing in Week 1. “Just again, I’m going to go back to protecting the young guy. Sometimes you get in the league, you have got to be smart and sometimes you have got to protect them from themselves. So, that’s all it is.”
While that's certainly great news, we're still keeping our eye on the Raiders' injury report this week to make sure Bowers will indeed play. Check out the latest updates below.
Brock Bowers injury update
Friday practice participation
According to the Raiders' final injury report, Bowers was able to log his first full practice of the week on Friday and has been removed from the injury report. Fire him up for Week 1 against the Chargers.
DE Malcolm Koonce (knee), CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring) and OL Jackson Powers-Johnson (illness) are all OUT for the #Raiders at the #LAChargers, who added CB Asante Samuel, Jr. (shoulder) to their injury report and listed him as QUESTIONABLE. pic.twitter.com/4PyT0x51BX
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 6, 2024
Thursday practice participation
According to the Raiders' injury report, tight end Brock Bowers was limited once again on Thursday. Until he logs a full practice, Bowers' Week 1 status will remain up in the air. The Raiders will release their final injury report on Friday
#Raiders DE Malcolm Koonce (knee) has been added to the injury report, as has rookie OL Jackson Powers-Johnson (illness). pic.twitter.com/ek8ObwSuEw
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 5, 2024
Wednesday practice participation
UPDATE: The Las Vegas Raiders have listed tight end Brock Bowers as limited on their first injury report of the week.
The @Raiders first injury report of the season pic.twitter.com/7u5H7WR0m3
— Vincent Bonsignore (@VinnyBonsignore) September 4, 2024
While the limited tag is a concern on the surface, head coach Antonio Pierce's comments from earlier in the day suggest he'll be ready to roll for Week 1.
End of update
According to ESPN's Paul Gutierrez, Bowers will indeed suit up for practice on the same day the Raiders release their first injury report. Pierce added that the rookie is "ready to go."
#Raiders coach Antonio Pierce says rookie TE Brock Bowers will be at practice, "Ready to go." LB Tommy Eichenberg? "Ready to go."
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) September 4, 2024
We'll update this page once Bowers' exact participation level is known. But if he's a full go, there will no longer be any doubt about his Week 1 status.
Brock Bowers Fantasy Football outlook
Bowers has the skillset to be an elite tight end for years to come, but there are some concerns in the first season of his career, with the first being the simple fact that he's a rookie and it's hard to know what to expect from first-year players.
Adding to that, not only does Bowers have to contend for targets with guys like Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers and Michael Mayer, he also has a shaky quarterback situation with Gardner Minshew starting.
That doesn't mean you can't start Bowers right away, but expectations should most definitely be tempered. Consider him a TE2 for now until he shows he can be more than that.