Raiders are officially on Brock Bowers watch with latest injury update

The Las Vegas Raiders won't have their best weapon when they kick off the Klint Kubiak era.

Star tight end Brock Bowers will miss at least one game as he undergoes meniscus trim surgery.

While he's expected to be back in no time, this is the type of chronic injury that could linger and become a long-term problem.

In an appearance on "The Rich Eisen Show," NFL insider Albert Breer revealed that this was the same type of injury that forced Maxx Crosby to go under the knife, and it might become a recurring concern.

The Raiders must be careful with Brock Bowers' knee

“That’s a wear-and-tear injury. And having him in this, I don’t want to scare anybody here because it was a trim rather than a repair, which gets him back sooner rather than later. But there was some wear-and-tear stuff on him coming out of Georgia,” Breer said.

While Breer claimed it was way too early to be worried about the Georgia product, the Raiders can't afford to look the other way here.

He's too young and still on his rookie deal, though he's firmly expected to reset the tight end market once he gets an extension.

And while this shouldn't change the Raiders' long-term plans with him, it does raise questions about how long he can perform at an elite level:

 “I’m not sounding that alarm yet. But this is the sort of wear-and-tear thing that you want to take care of,” added Breer. “...But it does, at least, I think, get your attention just as far as the amount of mileage he has just three years into his career.”

Bowers is an outstanding playmaker and one of the prime players at the position, and he will be instrumental to everything Coach Kubiak does in offense. 

But after such heavy usage dating back to his college days, and with the potential for a chronic knee issue, they may want to reconsider the best way to make the most of his talents without wearing him down.