Brock Bowers injury update: Las Vegas Raiders announce TE's status vs. Titans

Brock Bowers has been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans, the Las Vegas Raiders announced. He is still dealing with a knee injury, which put the TE’s status in question.

Bowers did not practice this week as he continues to work his way back from a PCL sprain and will miss Sunday’s matchup. Punter AJ Cole is questionable on an otherwise clean injury report for the Raiders.

Las Vegas coach Pete Carroll said earlier Friday he did not expect Bowers to suit up against the Titans. The goal is to avoid rushing the former Georgia star back to game action and risking re-aggravation.

“We continued to hold him out,” Carroll said Friday. “We’re not quite there yet. We’ve got to make sure we’re taking care of him and all that, so we’re working hard to do that. That’s what we’re trying to ensure, that once he’s back, he stays back and he’s good and there’s no setbacks.”

Bowers suffered the injury in the season opener against the New England Patriots and has been dealing with it ever since. He played in the next three games, but missed last week’s matchup against the Indianapolis Colts. Now, he’s in line to miss his second straight game when the Raiders take on the Titans this week.

Bowers started the year off strong, hauling in five receptions for 103 yards. But his production dipped after the injury, totaling 14 receptions for 122 yards across the following three games. In his last appearance against the Chicago Bears, he had five catches for 46 yards in a 25-24 loss at Allegiant Stadium.

Brock Bowers plays an important role in the Raiders’ defense, and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said his absence impacts the game plan in multiple ways. The scheme will adjust, but Kelly said he’s holding out hope Bowers gets back on the field soon.

“You lose the premier tight end in the NFL, and play calling is different,” Kelly said, via ESPN’s Ryan McFadden. “…You have to be able to make adjustments when you lose players like that, and you’ve got to move on, because no one’s feeling sorry for you when you have a guy down.

“So, that’s just the nature of the game, and we’re hopeful we’ll get Brock back soon here. He’s working his tail off to get back in the rehab process, so we’ll see how that goes.”