The Las Vegas Raiders haven't had a whole lot to be optimistic about during the 2024 NFL season. The excitement around the permanent hiring of Antonio Pierce has been worn off for weeks. Davante Adams decided to leave Las Vegas and is now a member of the New York Jets. The preseason hopes of a competent defense and running game now seem delusional. And who the hell is quarterbacking this team?

The one truly bright spot has been rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who didn't waste any time before looking like the guy that everyone out in the desert hoped he would become. And during Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams, Bowers made some Raiders franchise history.

Per the Las Vegas Raiders' PR account on X, formerly Twitter:

“TE Brock Bowers has now passed Raymond Chester (401) for the most receiving yards by a Raiders tight end through their first seven career games.”

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Heading into the week, Brock Bowers led all NFL tight ends in receptions (37), targets (46) and yards (384).

Assuming he's able to stay healthy, the idea of Bowers potentially breaking Mike Ditka's rookie tight end record of 1,076 yards is not far-fetched. Bowers will benefit from a 17-game schedule, whereas teams were only playing 14 regular season games during the 1961 season. But even if we looked at yards per game by a rookie tight end, Bowers' average of 64 yards per game would trail only Ditka's rookie season.

Of course, the Las Vegas Raiders must've hoped that this would be the player they spent the 13th overall pick on in the 2024 NFL Draft. Bowers was a two-time Mackey Award winner while at Georgia and hailed as one of the top tight end prospects in recent memory. For the majority of the 2023 college football season, the assumption was that Bowers would surely end up a top ten pick. The fact that he fell to Vegas at 13 was a gift.

For the rest of the year, Raiders fans can watch on and hope that their prized rookie could break the 63-year-old NFL record. As they do, they can start dreaming about the quarterbacks who might be connecting with Bowers consistently starting next season.