Will Brock Bowers be This Year’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89).Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Will Brock Bowers be This Year’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba?

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Tyler Bischoff | Last updated Sep 6, 2026 10:00 AM ET

Last season Jaxon Smith-Njigba exploded in Klint Kubiak’s offense and led the NFL with 1,793 receiving yards. Now with Kubiak in Las Vegas, Brock Bowers could have a monster season.

Kubiak took over for just one season in Seattle. That single year turned Smith-Njigba into one of the NFL’s best pass catchers. Smith-Njigba had a solid season in 2024, but with Kubiak in town, he became the NFL’s best.

Kubiak has been an offensive coordinator at three different stops. One common theme is how often he feeds his top target. When he was calling plays in Minnesota in 2021, Justin Jefferson posted 1,616 yards in his second season in the NFL.

In his sole season in New Orleans, Kubiak didn’t have a healthy star wideout, as Chris Olave only played eight games. In response, Kubiak’s offense threw to running back Alvin Kamara 89 times, the most on the team.

Wherever Kubiak goes, his best offensive weapon gets the ball as much as possible.

Bowers is the Raiders’ top star

Bowers is clearly the Raiders’ best pass catcher. The wide receiver room is a mess, and Ashton Jeanty is hurt and yet to prove he can make a big impact as a receiver. If Kubiak is going to force the ball to anyone, it will be Bowers.

Like Smith-Njigba and Jefferson, Bowers had a good season before Kubiak’s arrival. The tight end caught 112 passes for 1,194 yards as a rookie in 2024.

That happened on a 4-13 team that finished bottom five in points scored across the NFL. Kubiak’s offense should be significantly more productive, giving Bowers even more chances to put up massive numbers.

The Raiders have a weak wide receiver room

One of the keys for Bowers’ season will be how he is used. The Raiders are going to put two tight ends on the field frequently to help mitigate how poor the wide receiver talent is.

But Bowers will not have his hand in the dirt at the end of the line of scrimmage too often. That role will be reserved for Michael Mayer, while Bowers lines up like a wide receiver.

Bowers is listed as a tight end, but this season he will operate like a wide receiver, and his numbers should match that.

No tight end has ever had a 1,500 yard season. Bowers would be setting NFL records if he matches what Smith-Njigba or Jefferson did under Kubiak. But setting a new career high and leading all tight ends in receiving should be on the table in 2026.