Raiders tight end Brock Bowers briefly left Sunday’s game against the Seahawks in the first half with an ankle injury, and video of the play raises concern for a high ankle sprain. Bowers returned to the game and caught a pass, but the Raiders are expected to monitor him closely.
A high ankle sprain involves the ligaments above the ankle joint that hold the two lower leg bones together, and it typically takes longer to heal than a standard ankle sprain, often several weeks. The ability to return and catch a pass is an encouraging sign, as players with milder versions sometimes play through the injury with taping and swelling manageable in the short term. The risk is that the ankle stiffens after the game or worsens with another awkward step, which is why the Raiders are watching him closely. The Raiders play next Sunday, November 22, at Denver.
Brock Bowers Injury History
Bowers has dealt with this before. In October 2023 at Georgia, he suffered a Grade 3 left high ankle sprain, which required a TightRope surgical procedure to stabilize the joint, and he returned after missing several games. The ankle is only part of his injury history. In the 2025 season opener against the Patriots, he suffered a posterior cruciate ligament injury and bone bruise in his left knee after a 38-yard catch and played through it for three games before being shut down, and the Raiders placed him on injured reserve ahead of Week 17 with the lingering knee issue after he appeared in just 12 games. This September, he underwent a meniscus trim in the same knee, missed the first two games of 2026, and returned in Week 3 against the Saints with 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.
Since his return, Bowers has been Las Vegas’s top pass catcher, and any absence would put more pressure on Michael Mayer and the rest of the tight end room. The key updates are the team’s diagnosis, whether Bowers finishes the game, and his practice participation this week ahead of Denver.
