Despite having just one season under his belt, is it possible for Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers to already be the league’s best?
This offseason, the Raiders made it a priority to upgrade the quarterback position. By bringing in Geno Smith, this new regime buys themselves some time while remaining competitive as they look for a long-term answer. Lost in all of that is the fact that Bowers had quite literally a season for the books in 2024. He did so with Gardner Minshew, Aidan O’Connell, and yes, Desmond Ridder as his quarterbacks. Let’s call it what it is: that was some legendary effort in the face of much ineptitude.
Who is the best tight end in the NFL?
Now, how does that stack up against the league’s other notable tight ends? It’s an intriguing comparison, to say the least.
As the current holder of the NFL’s rookie reception record, Bowers is arguably better than his AFC West cohort Travis Kelce. Kelce’s total receiving yardage has steadily declined over the last three seasons and there were even rumblings about possible retirement. Still, a humiliating Super Bowl loss is surely going to motivate Kelce; that’s something worth keeping in mind.
What about outside the division?
You have George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers along with Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals, to name a couple. Kittle, in spite of having Brock Purdy as his starting signal-caller, mustered 1,106 receiving yards along with scoring eight touchdowns. McBride, on the other hand, recorded 1,146 yards through the air and a pair of touchdowns.
Regardless of your opinion, both McBride and Kittle benefited from the stability that the Raiders lacked last season. Think about it; multiple quarterback changes and a useless offensive coordinator who didn’t even survive the season are what Bowers dealt with.
The Raiders might have something truly special…
Fast forward to 2025 and Bowers now has an innovative offensive playcaller in Chip Kelly, Smith at quarterback, and a running back to take plenty of pressure off the offense as a whole. A sophomore campaign with even better results than last season might really cement Bowers as “the best.”
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