Brock Bowers' availability for Week 3 is a massive question mark, and the story took a turn in a direction New Orleans Saints fans need to monitor on Friday. Listed as questionable for Sunday, Bowers is recovering from a meniscus trim and was a limited participant in practice Wednesday and Thursday before not practicing Friday. Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak says this was always part of the plan, however.
Earlier this week, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported Bowers had a good chance to play While the DNP initially created some doubt, Kubiak's comments ease concerns of a setback even though it doesn't guarantee Bowers will play. He's Vegas' best pass catcher and the most productive tight end the Saints defense has faced, so his presence is a story to watch.
So far in his career, Bowers has been on a historic pace, ranking first in receptions (176) and third in receiving yards (1,874) in NFL history among tight ends through their first 29 games. Quite literally the focal point of the Raiders' passing offense, if he's on the field, the Saints will have to pay attention to him. However, the young TE is still a bit of an unknown heading into the week three matchup.
The Saints have done well against TE's this season
New Orleans has no real discernible way of knowing how Kubiak will use his tight end, but chances are high that the ball will be thrown away. Last year, through only 12 games played, he was second in the league with a target share of 23.6%. Luckily, Saints' defensive coordinator Brandon Staley has so far had the tight ends covered this season.
Through two games this season, the Saints have played two quality tight ends and have contained both of them fairly well, with neither scoring a touchdown and neither going over 50 yards receiving. Both targeted around 21% of the time; it's not like the quarterback never went their way. It's actually just Staley's defense that has been cooking, rather than a detriment to the player.
The linebackers and safeties also deserve credit, not just the scheme itself. Pete Werner, Kaden Elliss, and Jonas Sanker have really done an impressive job of handicapping the opposing offense. Even still, they and the rest of the defense will have to get ready to face their third straight All-Pro tight end.
There's more pressure on the shoulders of the linebackers this week, though, because Bowers lives and breathes in the middle of the field. His name has got to be the main one on their mind when they take the field this weekend.
But even then, he's a player who can play anywhere on the field. A special player, he's someone that Staley knows can be lethal to a defense.
"Brock is such a weapon," Staley said to the media. "He can line up anywhere. He can run the entire route tree as an outside receiver, as an inside receiver, or in a tight end position, and he could even line up in the backfield. He's a very complete player, he's very dangerous after the catch, and he's very good with the ball in his hands, which isn't typical for a tight end."
Add us as a preferred source on Google