Raiders Bowers to IR, ending star TEs season
Ryan McFaddenDec 24, 2025, 11:38 AM ET Close Ryan McFadden covers the Las Vegas Raiders for ESPN’s NFL Nation. Prior to ESPN, McFadden was a Denver Broncos beat reporter for the Denver Post. McFadden also wrote about the Baltimore Ravens and University of Maryland athletics for The Baltimore Sun. HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas…
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Ryan McFadden
HENDERSON, Nev. — The Las Vegas Raiders have placed starting tight end Brock Bowers and safety Jeremy Chinn on injured reserve, sources told ESPN.
The moves officially end both players’ season ahead of Sunday’s matchup against the New York Giants, in which the loser will assume control of the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft.
Bowers was named to his second straight Pro Bowl on Tuesday despite battling a knee injury for six weeks. He played three games through a posterior cruciate ligament injury and a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered in the Raiders’ season-opening win over the New England Patriots, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bowers was then sidelined for three games to allow for recovery.
Still, he has recorded team highs in receptions (64), receiving yards (680) and receiving touchdowns (7) this season. Bowers has caught four touchdowns in the Raiders’ past four games.
The Raiders’ decision will prevent him from having the chance to record the most receiving yards by a tight end in his first two seasons in NFL history. Bowers needed at least 107 more yards to pass Mike Ditka (1,980).
Chinn, who joined the Raiders in the offseason after spending last season with the Washington Commanders, had 114 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles in 15 starts.
The Raiders have a 36.4% chance of securing the top pick in the draft, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. However, a win over the Giants at home would weaken their chances.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Monday that he hasn’t thought much about the team’s draft position.
“I’m not really that concerned about any of that, and I don’t think you want me to be. We’re going to go play and play the best we can play and see what happens,” Carroll said.
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby, who was named to his fifth straight Pro Bowl on Tuesday, was bluntly honest when asked about the team’s chances of securing a first pick.
“Yeah, I don’t give a s— about the pick. I don’t play for that,” he said.
