The Las Vegas Raiders want to compete again in the upcoming season. Antonio Pierce has already received full backing from the coaching staff and talents such as Maxx Crosby. They still need to address their offensive issues, which began this offseason. The front office signed some promising players in free agency and added to their roster through the NFL Draft. Brock Bowers of Georgia may be their long-term tight end solution.
It’s official. According to Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team, Brock Bowers is a Raiders offense player for the foreseeable future. The team’s NFL Draft pick from the Georgia Bulldogs signed a four-year contract worth $18.1 million. His contract also includes a $10 million signing bonus and a fifth-year team option.
This is just the beginning of Antonio Pierce’s strategy to revitalize the Raiders offensive. So far, their pass-catchers appear to be outstanding. Their roster includes Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, Jalen Guyton, and Michael Mayer, among others. Their rushing weapons are also looking lethal, with Zamir White and Alexander Mattison heading the depth chart.
Furthermore, the Raiders’ offense is only as good as their trenches. The team understands this and has made some crucial signings in those positions as well. Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze, Will Putnam, Jake Johanning, and Clark Barrington are some huge names out of college who can help this team and protect their quarterback.
In terms of the signal-caller position, the Raiders still have a problem to solve. They recently signed Gardner Minshew while also retaining Aidan O’Connell. The arrival of Carter Bradley via the NFL Draft makes the situation murky. Nonetheless, these quarterbacks will have excellent weapons to dish off to or make long passes with.
What do the Raiders get with Bowers?
He isn’t the answer to the Raiders’ uneven offense, but he can certainly be their anchor for the foreseeable future. This is what he excelled at in Georgia. He is a versatile player who can block for a running back, create room in the pocket for his signal caller, or dash through the seam for an easy checkdown.
The Raiders’ NFL Draft choice also performed well in college. He has sticky hands and is definitely skilled at passing. This gave him 2,538 receiving yards from 175 receptions.
To put it in perspective, Bowers averaged 14.5 yards per reception, which was virtually always a first down. Clearly, he is also quite effective at catching passes in the end zone. This explains why, despite strong covering, he scored 26 total touchdowns.
Furthermore, his ability to carry the ball and get the offense moving is exceptional. Bowers may have only ran 19 times in college, but he makes each movement matter. He averaged 10.2 yards per rush on those few tries and even reached the end zone five times.
Antonio Pierce and the Raiders have signed a key component of what might be a Super Bowl-winning core. Hopefully, it will pay off.
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