Chargers fans still feel sting of Brock Bowers going to Raiders

The Los Angeles Chargers are blatantly in a great spot with rookie offensive tackle Joe Alt, nobody can dispute that.

But it sure feels like Brock Bowers is the one that got away.

One doesn’t have to look far online to see Chargers fans bemoaning the fact Bowers fell to No. 13 in this year’s draft, landing with the AFC West rival Las Vegas Raiders.

And it wasn’t just any rival either—former Chargers general manager Tom Telesco fills the same role for the Raiders now, making the Bowers pick sting all the more. Telesco, after all, sort of left the tight end position with the Chargers as a wasteland after 2023.

To make matters even worse, Bowers has hit on every draft expectation put on his shoulders. He’s lined up all over the field for the Raiders and has “next big thing” written all over him. He leads the offense with 28 catches for 313 yards and one score, with The Ringer’s Austin Gayle pointing out a wild stat: “Brock Bowers' 2.39 yards per route run is the highest for a rookie tight end in Weeks 1-5 since at least 2006 (min. 75 routes).”

Keep in mind that Bowers is doing this with the middling duo of Gardner Minshew and Aidan O'Connell at quarterback. The Chargers, meanwhile, aren’t getting production out of most receiving weapons after losing names like Keenan Allen and Mike Williams.

It doesn’t help that the Chargers haven’t exactly attempted to fix the issue, either. Last year, Telesco didn’t use one of their seven picks on a tight end, then the new regime didn’t use one of its nine picks on it this year, either.

Bowers was a favorite of analysts and fans for the Chargers before the draft. Things got weird, he’s panning out and now the Chargers will have to see him twice a year for a long time. Alt is great, and Jim Harbaugh upgraded his coveted trenches, but Bowers in silver and black will be something Chargers fans will continue to grimace about for a while.

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