Raiders report: No. 1 TE, WR return to practice before Chiefs game

The Raiders will likely be without star tight end Brock Bowers for a third straight game when they play the Chiefs on Sunday, but the outlook for wide receiver Jakobi Meyers is more optimistic.

Both players practiced on a limited basis Friday. Bowers was listed as doubtful on the Raiders’ final injury report with a knee injury he suffered in Week 1.

Meyers, who sustained knee and toe injuries during a tackle last week against the Titans, was listed as questionable.

“Jakobi got more than Brock did (on Friday),” coach Pete Carroll said. “(Meyers) looks like he bounced back pretty well, so we’re very hopeful that he’ll be available. Brock got his first workout here in a while. His workouts have been great during the week. I watched him when he was working with the trainers and he’s really going good. So, we’re really close on him.”

The Raiders have a bye following the Chiefs game, so sitting out would give Bowers two more weeks to recover. The 22-year-old played through his injury for three games wearing a brace before the team decided to rest his knee.

“It felt good to be back out there with the guys and be back at practice and just feeling better,” Bowers said. “I just want to be out there and it’s so frustrating to not be able to do what I want to do. The season is so short, so I want to be out there every game. It’s tough.”

Carroll said the goal is to not just get Bowers back on the field, but get him playing at a high level. The 2024 first-round pick appeared to be laboring through games between Weeks 2 and 4.

Bowers had 112 receptions for 1,194 yards with five touchdowns as a rookie. He has 19 catches for 225 yards this year and has yet to find the end zone.

“Even those three weeks I played with the knee brace, it was frustrating not being able to do what I really wanted to do,” Bowers said. “Now these two weeks have been tough not even being out there at all.”

Wide receiver and return specialist Alex Bachman is also questionable with an ankle injury. He practiced on a limited basis Thursday and Friday.

Special-teams boost

The Raiders, after several special-teams mishaps, brought in help by signing linebacker Jon Rhattigan off the Steelers’ practice squad Oct. 8.

It probably wasn’t a coincidence the group had its best performance of the season last week in a win over the Titans.

“I kind of came in here oblivious to anything that had happened beforehand, so for me it was all about bringing my experience and everything I know to this organization, and particularly the special teams group,” Rhattigan said. “Coincidentally enough, we ended up having a pretty good game and it felt really fun to be out there with these guys and connect with everyone. I certainly wouldn’t say I completely fixed everything by any means, but I’m glad to be a part of it now and I’m glad we’re trending in the right direction.”

Several coaches on staff, including Carroll, were familiar with Rhattigan and his special-teams prowess. The 26-year-old Army alum was excited for the opportunity.

“They said they needed my experience and what I can bring to the table,” Rhattigan said. “They certainly did that for a reason. It made sense for me to come here and I’m just attacking this thing like I’ve been here all season. We’re starting from scratch. I’m not worried about anything that happened before I got here because you have to have a short memory in the NFL. We started the season 1-4 and now we’re 2-4. You just have to stack those wins every week. We’re really just focused onward and upward and looking forward to the future.”

Special teams coach Tom McMahon took accountability for his group’s poor performance this season.

The Raiders gave up a 90-yard punt return touchdown in Week 3 against the Commanders, had a potential game-winning field goal get blocked in Week 4 against the Bears and had a punt get blocked in a Week 5 loss to the Colts.

“We cost us three games and that’s flat-out truth,” McMahon said. “Our offense is counting on us. Our defense is counting on us. It’s not just about turnovers and things like that. It’s all about the ball and you have to take care of the ball. We can’t let the ball finish in the end zone. We can’t give the ball to them on a blocked punt. So that’s all on me.”

Rhattigan’s presence led to an improved effort against the Titans. So did the return of tight end Michael Mayer after he missed two games with a concussion. The Bears’ field-goal block and the Colts’ punt block came from the side Mayer would have been protecting.

“What he does is, he’s right,” McMahon said of Mayer. “He does everything right and gives us that calm of not having to worry about that spot. Everything he does, he’s always on.”

Carroll hopes the Raiders’ strong special-teams performance last week is a sign the unit has righted the ship.

“We’re getting a couple guys back in the right spots and all that definitely helped us, but we played really well and we kicked the ball really well and placed the ball well and we executed a really good game plan last week,” Carroll said. “Let’s come back and see how we do. This is a really good group we’re going against, but we plan on going ahead and leaving all that stuff behind.

“We’re going in the right direction.”

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.