"Career over": NFL fans react to Brock Bowers skipping practice over knee injury

Brock Bowers was spotted at the Las Vegas Raiders’ facility on Friday, but he was not involved in the practice session, marking the second straight day of his absence. The tight end, who is dealing with a knee injury, was also a limited participant in practice on Wednesday.

Bowers, who has a record-breaking rookie season with the Raiders, has been playing through a knee injury he sustained in the season-opening victory over the New England Patriots. He shared some details about the injury on Friday, noting how challenging it has been.

"It's painful, sore, just annoying [and] frustrating because I want to be back to full strength and going full speed, being able to separate from guys," Bowers said. "I feel like I can't really do that to the best of my abilities right now."

Since his standout Week 1 performance, where he caught five passes for 103 yards, Brock Bowers has recorded 14 receptions for 122 yards. Playing with a brace and sleeve on his left knee, Bowers has been limited to under 50 receiving yards for three consecutive games.

The latest development around Bowers’ availability on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts has generated a lot of reactions online among NFL fans. The tight end is currently listed as questionable for the Week 5 game.

Here's a look at some of the reactions online:

TheCulturedSwine

@DaCulturedSwine

@AdamSchefter career over

DaGridiron

@DaGridiron

@AdamSchefter Who clearly should not have been playing the past 3 weeks

Harríto

@GoatlyL

@AdamSchefter Do teams get fined for not placing injured players on IR?

TheFletch

@theREALFletch_

@AdamSchefter If he’s really banged up just freakin tell us

💎 ℕ.ℝ. 💎 🐻⏬

@Bears_Dubz

@AdamSchefter Geno doesn’t throw him the ball anyway

Matthew Gibson

@ModernFootball0

@AdamSchefter Not good for Raiders

Pete Carroll optimistic about Brock Bowers’ availability

Despite not participating in practice on Friday, Raiders coach Pete Carroll expressed optimism about having Brock Bowers on the field against the Colts on Sunday. In his press conference, he noted that the situation is being managed so that he can be available for the encounter.

“I think he's playing,” Carroll said. “We think he's playing. But we want to make sure he rests well, and so we have to list him as questionable. But he's playing.”

Carroll noted earlier on Wednesday that Bowers’ knee injury has not altered the team’s offensive approach. However, he aims to increase opportunities for the player in the upcoming weeks.

“We're still trying to get the ball to him and use all of the great skills that he has,” Carroll said. “So, nothing's changed in that regard. I think we're going to see him better as he gets rid of that brace in a couple of weeks or whenever that happens.”

Brock Bowers is currently the Raiders’ leading pass catcher, with 19 receptions for 225 yards. The Georgia alum recorded 112 receptions for 1,194 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, breaking the NFL record for a rookie tight end in receptions and receiving yards.