Brock Bowers Is A “Dangerous” TE The Bucs MUST Stop

Tight ends aren’t often drafted in the top half of the first round, but when they are, they better be dominant.

That’s exactly what Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers, the No. 13 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, has looked like this year.

Bowers was not only named the NFL’s Rookie of the Month for November; he leads the league His 84 receptions and 884 receiving yards rank him fourth. He will be a big problem Sunday for the Bucs’ defense, a team that has struggled to stop opposing tight ends this season.

In order to contain Bowers, they’ll need to do everything they can to stop someone who is already in the conversation of being the best tight end in the NFL.

Brock Bowers is already one of the best TEs in the NFL – if not the best.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Raiders TE Brock Bowers – Photo courtesy of USA Today

You know the name, right?

Travis Kelsey.

George Kittle.

These two tight ends have gained a reputation as being the best at their position in recent years. That was until Brock Bowers joined the mix.

During his time at the University of Georgia, Bowers compiled an impressive resume of high-level play, something Bucs head coach Todd Bowles knows all too well. Bowles’ son Troy, a linebacker for the Bulldogs, watched him play for the Bulldogs last season and was able to see the talented tight end up close.

Tampa Bay’s defensive play caller shared his assessment of Bowers entering the league.

“I thought he was one of the best tight ends that’s come along in a while, not just in this draft, but in a while,” Bowles said. “He’s meeting expectations. He can play wideout, he can play tight end, he can play fullback, he can jet sweep. They’re doing a lot of things with him. He’s a very talented guy.”

He can do a lot to stretch the defense, but his route running ability stands out.

“He’s a very good route runner,” Bowles added. “He’s a very good route runner. He can power you, he can manipulate you, and when the situation allows, he can get it done.”

The Bucs have struggled against opposing tight ends.

Bucs LB Labonte David and co DC Larry Foote – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

Stopping the 2-10 Raiders starts and ends with tight end Brock Bowers and defensive end Maxx Crosby. The Bucs’ offense is focused on Crosby, but The defense will have its hands full with Bowers.

That will require a concerted effort, something co-defensive coordinator Larry Foote discussed at length this week.

“He needs a lot of eyes,” Foote said. “You have to be ready, even if we double-team him, everyone is going to double-team him. He looks like one of those guys – [Travis] Kelce is a man of the world, and he is dominant. He has a lot of skill and is good after the catch. It’s going to be very important for us, but we just have to play. We need to meet this challenge head on and know where he stands. ”

This is a challenge the Bucs don’t have an answer for against opposing tight ends this season, and it’s outlined in full here.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and DB Tykie Smith – Photo by Cliff Welch/PR

If the Bucs deploy two defenders to take Bowers out of the game, they would have to assume inside linebacker Lavonte David is one of them as well. With KJ Britt not practicing this week with an ankle injury and struggling in coverage all season, David will likely be the linebacker to fill this role. LVD may have been able to neutralize Bowers in the past, but at 34 years old, the veteran linebacker never gave up.

That means a second player will need to help David, preferably a physical defensive back who can keep pace. Rookie nickelback Tykie Smith has missed the last three games with a knee injury, but no one on the defensive end knows how to stop tight ends better than his former Bulldogs teammates.

Smith is the Bucs’ best playmaker in the secondary when healthy, especially since Jordan Whitehead is out with a pectoral injury and Mike Edwards left his last game with a hamstring injury. If this is not possible, there remains cause for concern.

Brock Bowers can break up – and broke himself up with elite play

Regardless of who plays Brock Bowers, he has to limit the amount of separation Brock Bowers creates.

“Yeah, it’s the speed thing. He’s fast and he definitely gets separation,” Larry Foote said. “He’s great after the catch. [He has] He also has a lot of YAC (yards after catch) yards, which is impressive. ”

That last part has been the Achilles heel of the Bucks’ defense this season. In two games this season, we’ve seen Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts burn teams with his athleticism, allowing Pitts and other players to successfully separate the middle of the field from players who are slow to react. are.

Not only did Bowers make life easier for the players who threw him the ball this season by getting open, but he also distanced himself from other tight ends around the league, giving Foote one of the best tight ends in NFL history, and the red It reminded me of someone in a uniform. And pewter.

Raiders TE Brock Bowers – Photo Credit: USA Today

“He looks fast,” Foote added. “He looks young and fresh, but he looks like a wide receiver. I’ll tell you, when you look at his cuts, sometimes you don’t know if he’s a wide receiver or not. When you play against the greats. , I always tell them: [Rob] Gronkowski and them, that’s the difference. You better keep your Ps and Qs tight because he’s dangerous when there’s a chance of tight parts sticking together and coming apart. ”

The secret to success in Foote’s mind is that second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell makes the Raiders so one-dimensional that they have to pass, and they know what’s coming. O’Connell played his career game last week against the Chiefs, which resulted in Las Vegas holding a close lead at Kansas City.

“They’re a tough, big team up front, so we’ve got to stop conceding those goals,” Foote said of O’Connell’s confidence being disrupted in the air. “We know their weapons. When you look at him, he’s poised in the pocket. He knows what to do with the ball and can hit the ball. So we just have to play our game. We want to be one-dimensional as a team and stop giving up runs and take advantage every week.”

To learn more about what strategy the Bucs must develop to stop Brock Bowers, check out the latest Pewter Report podcast.