The Las Vegas Raiders revealed a surprise before their season opener against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, revealing tight end Brock Bowers would miss Week 1 after having a meniscus trim last week. Earlier in the week, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak suggested Bowers would play against the Dolphins. Kubiak was aware of Bowers' procedure, but thought the third-year tight end would be able to play on Sunday.
Typically, players who have a meniscus trim can miss anywhere from four to six weeks. However, the Raiders chose not to put Bowers on injured reserve, hinting he'd return sooner than four weeks. More news: Exclusive: Breakout NFL Executives Who Could Become Future General Managers More news: 4 QBs Generating Serious Trade Buzz Weeks Before NFL Regular Season Starts Per Dan Graziano of ESPN, Bowers was healthy enough to have played against Miami if "necessary." It is believed Bowers will return by the time the Raiders play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4.
"Raiders tight end Brock Bowers' knee injury is not overly serious, from what I am told," Graziano wrote. "The team felt he could have played last week if necessary, and it's possible he returns this week. "But the organization is determined to be careful with this very important player and not play him until they're 100% certain he's not being affected by the knee.
I believe the latest you'll see Bowers is Week 4 against the Chiefs, but again, it could be sooner than that." Bowers is an important piece of the offense, and the Raiders must balance their long-term interest in keeping the tight end healthy over trying to win games in September. Sans Bowers, the Raiders defeated the Dolphins 27-13 on Sunday. Las Vegas quarterback Kirk Cousins threw for 160 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Running back Ashton Jeanty was the leading receiver, recording six catches for 45 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins appears to have developed chemistry with the Raiders' No. 2 tight end, Michael Mayer. He was the second leading receiver for Las Vegas, recording six receptions for 32 yards.
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