Raiders' Brock Bowers Talks Injury Return, Geno Smith and More in B/R Interview

Brock Bowers isn't thinking about individual goals or putting up certain stats.

Instead, there's just one thing on his mind after missing the last two games with a knee injury.

"I just want to get back out there and play," the Las Vegas Raiders tight end told Bleacher Report. "I haven't thought about much else. I just want to get out there and have some fun, make some plays and try to help the team win."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Bowers suffered a PCL injury and bone bruise in the season opener against the New England Patriots and played through it for a time before missing the last two contests against the Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans.

It appeared to be an issue since he tallied five catches for 103 yards against the Patriots before posting a combined 14 catches for 122 yards against the Los Angeles Chargers, Washington Commanders and Chicago Bears.

The Raiders have a Week 8 bye following Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs, which means Week 9 could be a natural return target date. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Sunday that Las Vegas will "want to be smart with him" and could look to bring him back after the bye.

Bowers didn't commit to a return date, but he echoed the importance of being smart with a long-term outlook in mind.

"It's been doing better," he said. "I'm super anxious to get back out there and play again. But I want to do it the right way so I come back at or close to 100 percent and not have to deal with it again during the season."

Having Bowers back after the bye will help the Raiders tap into some of the preseason optimism that was in place before a 2-4 start to the campaign.

That preseason optimism was largely warranted, as they brought in head coach Pete Carroll and his resume that features two Super Bowl appearances and a Lombardi Trophy from his time with the Seattle Seahawks. They also added offensive coordinator Chip Kelly after he led Ohio State to a national title in the same role and returned superstar pass-rusher Maxx Crosby to lead the defense.

Throw in the decision to draft Ashton Jeanty as the primary running back and bring in Geno Smith at quarterback to add to an offense that already featured Bowers and Jakobi Meyers in the aerial attack, and there was no reason to feel anything but positive.

A season-opening win over the Patriots did nothing to quell those expectations, but four straight losses after that certainly did. Suddenly, the Raiders were 1-4 and fighting an uphill battle to get into the playoff picture in a loaded AFC West.

That is what made Sunday's win over the Titans so important. Even with Bowers sidelined, Jeanty and fellow tight end Michael Mayer—who returned after he missed time with a concussion—each found the end zone. The defense also dominated behind six overall sacks, two of which came from Crosby.

▶️ Full Titans-Raiders Recap

04:48

"It was great to finally get a win and boost the whole team," Bowers said after watching the game as a spectator. "Keep moving morale. And seeing big Mike out there making plays was really cool since he was coming back from the concussion he had. And our defense played awesome, per usual."

It also felt important for Smith to get a win.

The Raiders traded for the quarterback this offseason and then signed him to a two-year extension, making him the franchise quarterback for the immediate future. While Smith has had an up-and-down career after entering the league as a second-round pick of the New York Jets in 2013, he came to the Raiders after his best stretch with the Seattle Seahawks.

He was a back-to-back Pro Bowler during the 2022 and 2023 seasons and then went 10-7 as a starter in 2024. It stood in stark contrast to his struggles with the Jets and time bouncing around to the New York Giants and Los Angeles Chargers, and a move to the Raiders was notable since he was reuniting with Carroll.

Yet Smith's start to the 2025 season has been defined by inconsistency with seven touchdown passes to 10 interceptions. It wasn't what anyone envisioned, but the win over the Titans has inspired some newfound confidence in the quarterback Bowers fully believes in moving forward.

"It's been good," Bowers said of working with Smith. "He's a great guy, he's a great leader. We're happy to have him. Some unlucky things have happened, but I'm excited to see how he keeps building and working."

Smith isn't the only one Bowers is working with this year.

He also partnered with USAA to highlight the importance of safe driving ahead of National Teen Driver Safety Week from Oct. 19-25.

"It's been good," he said of the partnership. "It's important to me being part of this community where it's a big deal, safe driving in general. I just want to spread awareness. I know almost everyone has been affected directly or indirectly by some type of auto incident, so it's important to spread awareness."

Bowers gave a speech at UNLV stressing how important safe driving is and then participated in USAA's Auto Simulator experience, which was similar to a video game and challenged users to drive safely as they navigate distractions.

"I thought I did alright," he said. "The controls were a little touchy. Got some minus points for hard braking, but scored 90. So not too bad."

Now that he has brushed up on his safe driving skills, he can focus on returning to the field.

The 2024 first-round pick immediately set the tone as a rookie Pro Bowler with 112 catches for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns. It is not a stretch to suggest he was already the best tight end in the league coming into the 2025 campaign, and the Raiders will be far more dangerous when he returns.

That return will make everyone's job easier because of the attention he commands from opposing defenses, which should help the Raiders build on Sunday's win.

"It's a long season, a lot of games left," Bowers said. "If we start hitting our stride, we can make a push toward the end of the year."

That would certainly bring back the preseason optimism in Las Vegas.