The Las Vegas Raiders open the 2026 NFL regular season against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.

But Kirk Cousins and the rest of the Raiders offense will be without standout tight end Brock Bowers for that game, and possibly longer.

According to multiple reports, first surfaced by ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Ian Rapoport, the Raiders tight end suffered a knee injury during training camp and was diagnosed with a meniscus injury last week. Bowers underwent a “meniscus trim” procedure on Tuesday in Dallas, with Dr. Daniel Cooper performing the procedure.

Quoting “league sources,” Schefter reports that Bowers is expected to miss “a game or two” as he recovers from the procedure.

Bowers caught 64 passes for 680 yards and seven touchdowns last season, despite missing five games due to a knee injury. The tight end suffered a bone bruise and PCL injury in Week 1 against the New England Patriots last season, and missed three games after playing through the injury during the early part of the year. Bowers was placed on season-ending injured reserve in late December of last year.

Michael Mayer is the Raiders backup tight end. Las Vegas plays the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.