October 3, 2026 - 6:00 am

The more spots on offense for the Las Vegas Raiders at which he lines up on the football field, the better for tight end Brock Bowers.

Or wideout Brock Bowers.

Or slotster Brock Bowers.

“I like moving around. It’s fun,” he said Friday at Intermountain Health Performance Center. “It’s fun going against everyone on the defense. So, got to kind of know what they’re going to do. How they’re going to play. So, it’s been good.”

Bowers is back in rhythm for the Raiders with another week of practice behind him following his season debut Sunday, a 35-27 road win over the New Orleans Saints. For his part in keeping Las Vegas unbeaten, the former first-team All-Pro recorded 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown.

The ailing left meniscus that kept him out the first two weeks amid his trim is “improving week to week,” he said, ahead of a matchup Sunday with the Kansas City Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium.

“It was great to be back out there playing with all the guys,” he said. “Just getting back on the field is always a good thing.

“I feel like there was tons of energy out there. Everyone’s having fun. Just playing. Super excited. I mean, everyone’s flying around, so it’s always fun.”

Nobody moreso perhaps than Bowers, the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week who shirks positional pigeonholing at 6 feet 4 inches, 235 pounds. He ran nine routes as an outside receiver against the Saints, 15 routes from his spot in the slot, one from the backfield and eight in-line as a traditional tight end.

Whether he’s the target or not, Bowers draws defensive attention with his blend of quickness, strength and power — often drawing multiple defenders.

“He gets himself open a lot, obviously,” tight end Ian Thomas said. “He gets other people open drawing attention to him. Run game, pass game, and it’s good to see his spirit up higher because obviously you want to contribute and then be with the guys.”

Kubiak noted Wednesday morning that Bowers has the “full attention” of the Chiefs, who’ve surrendered 19 catches to tight ends for 183 yards and two scores in their three victories. He referred to Bowers “as very studious” and said “he works hard” at his craft and that “it’s not easy to go play a game when you don’t have all the practice reps.”

It seemed so Sunday.

Added quarterback Kirk Cousins: “He is tremendous after the catch with the football. I think he’s got a great ability to adjust to the football. Strong hands, good play strength. There’s a lot of intangibles too, with his intelligence and his work ethic, the standard he holds himself to. He’s a great teammate. So there’s so many traits you look for in a player … and he’s checking so many of those boxes.”

Be it as a tight end, receiver or slotster.

“Our skill players have to do a multitude of things,” offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko said Thursday. “So everything, whether he’s in line, out — I don’t really know if we put a name on anything, but we just ask guys to plug and play in different positions. Whether it’s him, or whether it’s other players in our offense, we see guys put in different spots, and really, ultimately, we’re just trying to make the guys successful in whatever they do.”

Contact Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on X.