Raiders Reveal Concerning Updates on Maxx Crosby & Brock Bowers
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Las Vegas Raiders DE Maxx Crosby.
The Las Vegas Raiders are desperate to get back into the win column amid a three-game losing streak. Unfortunately, things don’t get any easier as they travel to Indianapolis in Week 5 to face a 3-1 Colts team.
To make matters worse, two of the team’s best players are injured. Tight end Brock Bowers hurt his knee in Week 1 and hasn’t looked like the same player since. He was a limited participant in practice on Wednesday, but it appears he may have aggravated something.
According to the Raiders’ injury report, Bowers did not practice on Thursday, which is not a good sign for his status in Week 5. He hasn’t had a big game since Week 1, so it’s possible that Las Vegas has decided to give him some time off to let the knee heal properly. The offense just isn’t the same without him being 100%.
That’s not the only concerning injury update. The Raiders also revealed that star defensive end Maxx Crosby was limited due to a knee injury. Now, Crosby would likely rather have the doctors cut his leg off than for him to miss a game this early in the season, but if he can’t play, that will be a major cause for concern. He was limited, so he wasn’t out completely, but he will be a player to watch.
Pete Carroll Talks Bowers
Bowers is coming off a record-breaking rookie season, and he didn’t miss a single game. It was a much more productive year for him.
While he was excellent in Week 1, Bowers has just looked like an average tight end the last three games instead of the All-Pro he proved to be last season. Head coach Pete Carroll recently admitted that the team is still trying to figure out the best way to utilize him right now.
“We’re still trying to go to him,” Carroll told reporters Wednesday. “We’re still trying to get the ball to him and use him for all of the great skills that he has. So, nothing’s changed in that regard. I think we’re going to see him better as he gets rid of that brace that he’s wearing in a couple weeks, whenever that happens.
“It’s worked out well to have him playing—he’s been out there and able to practice and prepare, and he’s an incredible asset to our team. But we would love for him to get the ball more.”
Should Raiders Give Bowers Time to Recover?
Bowers is a tough player, so he doesn’t want to miss time. That said, he’s clearly not recovering quickly enough. At this point, the Raiders might be better off giving him a week or two off to get closer to 100%.
Michael Mayer has a chance to return in Week 5, and he’s more than capable of being the No. 1 tight end for a couple of games. Bowers is a generational talent, so it’d be a tough call to keep him off the field, but he looks slow right now. He’s not a huge tight end, and his speed is what makes him a mismatch. If he can’t run at full speed, he’s not as effective. It might be time to take the decision out of his hands and force him to sit for a game or two.
Steelers’ Derrick Harmon Turning Heads Early in Rookie Campaign
First-round rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon missed the first two weeks of the 2025 NFL season for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Yet, in a small sample, he was still one of the more impressive rookies in September.
That’s what Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon argued Wednesday. Gagnon gave Harmon an A-minus grade through Week 4.
Only five first-round rookies received a grade higher than Harmon’s A-minus.
“He missed the first two weeks of his rookie season due to a knee injury but picked up a sack in his pro debut and already has five pressures as well as a critical batted pass that led to an interception,” Gagnon wrote. “The former Oregon star is off to a splendid start, albeit in a limited sample.”
Harmon was one of four first-round rookies who received an A-minus in Gagnon’s grades.
The only players drafted after Harmon this past spring who matched or bettered his grade were Los Angeles Chargers running back Omarion Hampton, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Atlanta Falcons edge rusher James Pearce Jr. and Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jihaad Campbell.
The Steelers picked Harmon at No. 21 overall in the 2025 first round.
After missing the first two weeks, Harmon recorded a sack in his NFL regular season debut during Week 3. In his first two career games, he posted 3 combined tackles, including one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits, and a pass defense with the sack.
Harmon’s pass defense at the line of scrimmage led to an interception during Week 4 against the Minnesota Vikings.
Derrick Harmon Excelling Early in NFL Rookie Season
One of Harmon’s best early season grades came from Gagnon. But other analysts have also really liked what they’ve seen from the Steelers rookie defensive lineman.
“Just four games into the season, there hasn’t been a breakout star quite yet. But of the Steelers’ rookie class, I think Derrick Harmon has definitely shown the most over the regular season,” wrote SB Nation’s Ryland Bickley.
“Harmon has played in just two games, but he already has a sack, a tackle for loss, and a pass deflection that led to an interception. And while he’s been far from the lone catalyst for the turnaround, the two games he’s played have also been the Steeler defense’s best this season.
“He’s also had a good number of plays where he made a clear impact even if it didn’t show on the stat sheet.”
In Pittsburgh’s traditional 3-4 system, the defensive linemen typically don’t earn a ton of accolades. That’s changed some with Cameron Heyward, but the Steelers defensive linemen usually do a lot of dirty work, putting the team’s linebackers in the best positions to make splash plays.
That’s what Harmon has done through two games, with a few splash plays of his own sprinkled in. Harmon sacked Drake Maye and then tipped a pass against Carson Wentz, which led to a turnover.
Because of the progressing age of the Steelers defensive line, the hope coming into this season was Harmon would make an immediate impact. It’s only been two games, but Harmon is delivering.
PFF Player Grades Love Jack Sawyer, Not Harmon
Gagnon and others love what Harmon has supplied the Steelers. But he’s not the consensus top rookie on the Pittsburgh defense.
Among the team’s first-year defenders, fourth-rounder Jack Sawyer has earned the highest Pro Football Focus player grade. Sawyer is the 10th-ranked defender on the team with a 72.9 overall grade.
Harmon sits at No. 18 on the Steelers defense with a 55.4 overall grade. PFF rated Harmon seventh out of 17 rookie defensive linemen in Week 4.
“Harmon played 35 snaps for the second consecutive week and turned in a solid performance as a pass rusher,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman wrote. “He tallied three pressures, but his most impactful play was a batted pass that resulted in a DeShon Elliott interception.
“He contributed just seven snaps in run defense, earning one positive grade and one negative grade along the way.”
As Colin Cowherd argued while defending quarterback Aaron Rodgers, PFF grades aren’t and shouldn’t be the end-all, be-all statistical. Still, it’s useful information.
Harmon is showing real positive signs as a rookie but could just be getting started on his way to NFL stardom.
