The Las Vegas Raiders left New Orleans with the win, but they’re losing a key player. Wide receiver Jack Bech fractured his forearm, and he’s headed to Injured Reserve. He’s going to be out at least four games and could miss even more.
The Raiders are already thin on wide receiver talent, so losing the former second-round pick is a blow. While he’s out, the team will likely elevate Cody White from the practice squad. In the meantime, they decided to bring in an outside wide receiver.
The Raiders announced that they’ve signed wide receiver Tyler Scott to the practice squad.
Scott came into the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2023. He stuck with the team for two seasons before being let go before the start of last season. He spent last year with the Indianapolis Colts, Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams.
He should have some familiarity with Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak during his brief time in Seattle, but they were only together for a week. Scott has 18 career catches for 173 yards. Though he hasn’t been able to stick with a team, he’s an interesting athlete, as he runs a 4.39 40-yard dash, so he has plenty of speed.
Raiders Using Brock Bowers as WR
Many questioned why the Raiders didn’t do more to address the need at wide receiver in the offseason. So far, there hasn’t been one wide receiver to consistently be the No. 1 option.
However, tight end Brock Bowers finally played his first game of the season in Week 3, and it’s clear the Raiders view him more as a wide receiver. Bowers only took eight snaps inline.
He took nine snaps out wide and another 15 in the slot. Michael Mayer appears to be the true tight end in this offseason, while Bowers is looked at more as a slot receiver. That was a successful strategy against the Saints, but it will be interesting to see if the Raiders plan to use Bowers more as a traditional tight end in the future.
Maxx Crosby Says Bowers Is Best TE in Football
Coming off of surgery, Bowers didn’t look like he missed a single step. He had 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. There was a lot of excitement about what he could do in this offseason, but the Raiders had to wait while he got healthy.
He clearly hasn’t been slowed down by the injury. Defensive end Maxx Crosby had some big praise for Bowers.
“I mean, it’s self-explanatory – he’s the best in the business,” Crosby told reporters after the game. “He’s a complete game-changer. Unguardable. So, yeah, we have a guy like that back in the lineup, it definitely helps the team out.”
The Raiders won both of their games without Bowers, but as the competition gets tougher, they need their star player. He’s clearly the focal point of the offense and is going to catch a lot of balls going forward. Having him certainly alleviates the need for a star wide receiver.
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