Brock Bowers is resisting the recommended rest for a PCL sprain and bone bruise in his knee, and he is now considered unlikely to play today against the Colts despite late‑week optimism from coach Pete Carroll, per multiple reports.
The situation shows how the injury has lingered and how the Las Vegas Raiders are currently weighing short‑term needs against the long‑term health of their tight end.
Bowers first injured the knee on opening day versus the New England Patriots and has been grinding through a PCL issue and bone bruise that have hampered his burst and separation in recent weeks, according to league reports.
“Doctors have said the only way to recover from the knee injuries he suffered on opening day vs. the Patriots is to rest, which Bowers has been unwilling to do,” ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero has provided an outlook of the gameday:
“Raiders tight end Brock Bowers is considered unlikely to play today against the Colts despite coach Pete Carroll saying on Friday he believed Bowers was going to go.”
He hurt the knee in Week 1 and, while he hadn’t missed a game until now, he hasn’t quite looked like himself as the staff tried to buy him time with managed workloads.
“They gave him two days off practice in hopes that would help get the knee right, but the progress has been slow,” Pelissero noted.
Brock Bowers’ injury significantly limits Raiders’ offensive spark
After a brief midweek uptick, Bowers was limited before the Raiders shut him down Thursday and Friday to see if rest would trigger improvement heading into Sunday. If we look closely into the picture, the trend is evident: 19 catches for 225 yards on the season, but just 14 for 122 over the last three games after a 103‑yard opener in New England. These numbers are enough to show us that the injury had a wide impact on his game.
With Bowers trending out and Michael Mayer dealing with a concussion, Las Vegas elevated Albert Okwuegbunam and is preparing Ian Thomas for a larger role in the tight end rotation. The bottom line remains unchanged: rest is the best path to full recovery, but Bowers’ competitive drive has kept him pushing to play even as the knee has been slow to respond.
