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Brock Bowers will not play for the Raiders in the season opener, but that could be the only game he misses. Adam Schefter reported that the Raiders are optimistic Bowers could be back for Week 2 when the Raiders play the Chargers.
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Bowers underwent knee surgery to trim his meniscus on Tuesday. If he returns for next week’s game in Los Angeles, he will have missed just 11 days after surgery. It is an aggressive timeline for the Raiders’ best player.
The Raiders don’t need to rush Bowers back though. He is one of the most important pieces of their rebuild and prioritizing his long-term health over a couple of games in 2026 should be the Raiders’ primary goal.
Las Vegas has already punted on 2026. The Raiders will be the first team since the 2018 Cleveland Browns to draft a quarterback with the first-overall pick and then not start him in Week 1. The reasoning is that Las Vegas wants Fernando Mendoza to develop before he plays.
Effectively, the Raiders are choosing 2027 and beyond as their years to compete by letting Mendoza learn before he plays.
Deciding to bring back one of the franchise cornerstones before he is 100 percent would be the exact opposite logic the Raiders are taking with Mendoza.
Former NFL safety Su’a Cravens stated his concern about the Raiders’ handling of Bowers’ injury.
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“I’ve had my meniscus scoped 4 times,” Cravens posted. “Was rushed back each time and tore it over and over again to the point I didn’t have a meniscus to scope. Now it’s bone on bone with a fracture that grows each year and is 10/10 pain to twist or turn and run. They’re gonna ruin this man’s career with injuries at this rate!”
Reducing the possibility of Bowers injuring his knee in the future should be the Raiders’ primary goal.
Repeating Mistakes
The Raiders just made this same mistake last season. In Week 1 of 2025 Bowers injured his knee. But Las Vegas proceeded to have their tight end play through a PCL injury and bone bruise for the next three games.
Bowers was finally held out in Week 5. But he only missed three games before returning. Eventually Bowers was shut down for the final two games of the season with his knee injury.
Now, Bowers is recovering from knee surgery on the eve of the 2026 season. The warning couldn’t be more clear.
The Raiders can’t risk Bowers’ health just so he can play in Week 2 of a lost season.
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This story was originally published September 13, 2026 at 8:26 AM.