Brock Bowers during a game.
Brock Bowers. Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Las Vegas Raiders now believe Brock Bowers can miss only Sunday’s opener against Miami. Adam Schefter reported the team sees a realistic path toward Week 2 against the Chargers. Bowers had a meniscus trim Tuesday in Dallas after a camp tweak that doctors diagnosed last week.

League sources first said the Brock Bowers surgery would cost him a game or two. Las Vegas officially ruled him out for the Dolphins at Allegiant Stadium. The new update is sharper than that earlier window and points to next Sunday in Los Angeles.

Schefter wrote that the Raiders will watch how he feels this week before locking anything in. He added that a potential return next week remains within the realm of possibility.

Brock Bowers Faces A Fast Turnaround After Another Knee Setback

Brock Bowers during practice.
Brock Bowers. Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This is not the first time the knee has slowed him down in Las Vegas. Last season he suffered a PCL sprain and a bone bruise during Week 1. He played through three more games, missed three in October, then landed on injured reserve late.

He still finished 2025 with 64 catches, 680 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games. The two-time Pro Bowler came back healthy in the spring and became a prime target for Kirk Cousins. Then camp contact created another problem that required a trim instead of a full repair.

A former player warning already framed how quickly this kind of cut can turn into a longer issue. Removing part of the meniscus can leave the joint more exposed over time. Bowers has said he can beat a normal recovery clock, and the building now sounds closer to that view.

Brock Bowers’ Absence Hands Michael Mayer The Opener In Las Vegas

Las Vegas Raiders’ Latest Move Has Fans Very Worried About Brock Bowers’ Long-Term Health
Brock Bowers (Photo Via Imagn Images)

Michael Mayer will handle the featured tight end snaps against Miami. The Raiders drafted him 35th overall in 2023, one year before they took Bowers 13th. Kubiak’s offense still wants two-tight-end looks, so Mayer finally gets a clean first shot.

Cousins also needs Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Jaylen Nailor to win more routes without his best receiver on the field. Ashton Jeanty remains the other featured piece if the ground game holds up. Las Vegas built this attack around Bowers and the run, not a crowded wideout room.

The staff will need him in practice more than once before it trusts the knee against the Chargers. A meniscus trim can look minor on paper and still swell after the first live week. That is why Schefter stressed that the team will judge how he feels before naming him active.



Brock Bowers Gets Surprising New Injury Update After Surgery That Changes Everything For The Raiders
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