Ahead of Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins, the Las Vegas Raiders were hit with a major blow, as they learned star tight end Brock Bowers was set to miss time after undergoing a meniscus trim procedure on his knee.
Bowers has already been ruled out for Week 1 with the injury and could miss time beyond that, which is obviously a big concern for new head coach Klint Kubiak and company.
Klint Kubiak: Brock Bowers Will ‘Be Back Soon’
On Friday, Kubiak was asked about Bowers’ situation, and he said he was “optimistic” the one-time All-Pro would be able to play but wouldn’t suit up, and that he’s expected to be back soon, via team reporter Levi Edwards.
“I was optimistic earlier that Brock would be able to go,” Kubiak said of his star tight end. “He is not. He’ll be back soon.”
Kubiak was also asked how Bowers is handling this injury as he starts the 2026 campaign, and the new Raiders head coach clearly likes what he sees from his new star tight end in Las Vegas.
“He’s a champion,” Kubiak said of Bowers.
Apparently, the team didn’t waste any time getting things “cleaned up” with Bowers, but Kubiak isn’t ready to put a timeline on when the 23-year-old will be able to return to the field, with initial reports saying he’ll miss 1-2 games after the procedure, via Sam Warren of The Athletic.
“It all happened pretty quick. I don’t remember exactly what day, but yeah, we got it cleaned up. … I’m not going to talk about timelines,” when asked if a 1-2 game absence was accurate.
With Bowers on the mend, the Raiders will turn to fourth-year tight end Michael Mayer to pick up the slack at the position, as he’s expected to see a bigger role heading into Week 1.
Ashton Jeanty ‘Excited’ to Face Dolphins in Week 1
Although the Raiders will be without arguably their best pass catcher to start the season, the team got good news with star running back Ashton Jeanty, who has been cleared with no injury designation to face the Dolphins on Sunday.
Jeanty recently described the ankle injury he sustained and, via Warren, claims he knew it wasn’t anything serious when it occurred during practice.
“When I popped up, I had a sigh of relief,” Jeanty said. “I knew it wasn’t anything too bad, even though I couldn’t put pressure on my foot… Of course, anytime you have an injury you think about how much worse it could have been and it just gives you perspective. But of course, just glad it was something light.”
Obviously, this is great news for the Raiders, especially with the team set to be without Bowers for at least the first game of the 2026 campaign.
“I feel really good,” Jeanty said. “Super excited to go out there and play a good game with this team against the Dolphins.”
Jeanty will lead the way out of the backfield and share carries with rookie Mike Washington Jr., who made quite an impression during training camp and throughout the NFL preseason.
Raiders’ Klint Kubiak Offers Telling Response to Brock Bowers’ Injury