It doesn't take an NFL expert to see that the Las Vegas Raiders have one of the more rounded-out tight end rooms in the league, thanks to their budding star, Brock Bowers. He was an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist and shattered rookie tight end records.
He already has an argument to be considered the best tight end in the NFL, and he was doing all this while his quarterback play switched from Gardner Minshew to Aidan O'Connell. Now that Geno Smith is under center, Bowers' skillset can be utilized better across the entirety of the field.
While it's unlikely to happen to him, sophomore slumps happen all the time in the NFL, and I wouldn't be surprised if Bowers doesn't have the same type of production he had last season. Outside of Bowers, whom can the Raiders trust to hold down their tight end position?
Their number two option is Michael Mayer, a player who, at one point, looked like the tight end of the future for the Raiders, but is now relegated to one of the best backup tight ends in the league. His name has been wrapped up in trade rumors due to how he could be a team's number one option, and the Raiders would get some assets in return for him.
If the Raiders decide to keep him, he would bolster their tight end room tremendously as a solid backup who could come in and get a few passes thrown his way each game from Smith. It's the players outside of their top two options that worry me about their depth.
Ian Thomas joins the Raiders after spending the majority of his career with the Carolina Panthers. His size and lack of passing upside mean he'll be used more as a blocking tight end in run schemes, which isn't a bad thing to have on their roster, especially for a team that projects to be as run-heavy as the Raiders.
Justin Shorter is their fourth-string tight end, and after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL draft, he has yet to see the field in an NFL game. The Raiders suffered a ton of injuries last season that impacted their season greatly. They should be looking to add any remaining tight ends in free agency to give their tight end room more experience and more of a contingency plan if something were to happen to their top two guys.
