Making the Case For Brock Bowers to Win NFL Rookie of the Year
Through 13 weeks of the NFL season, the race for Rookie of the Year (ROTY) is really starting to shape up. Right now the current odds are in the favor of two quarterbacks taking their respective teams to new heights.
The current leaders, according to FanDuel, are Jayden Daniels from the Washington Commanders at -270 and Bo Nix with the Denver Broncos at +230. It's not until the third contender for the award that you find Raiders' tight end Brock Bowers sitting at +1000.
While quarterbacks in the NFL dominate most major awards like MVP or ROTY, Bowers has made as good of a case as anyone to stray away from the norm. He's on pace for a record-setting year and is doing all of it on a dysfunctional team, with only bridge quarterbacks on the roster.
Even through 12 games, Bowers put up historic numbers, ranking second all-time with total receptions at 84. Sitting behind only Odell Beckam Jr. at 91 and placing him comfortably above Puka Nacua at 77.
Bowers is also well within reach of setting the all-time rookie reception record for tight ends. The record is currently held by Sam LaPorta of the Detroit Lions at 86, meaning Bowers is two receptions away with five games left on the year.
However, the dominance of Bowers doesn't stop there. He's on pace to set receiving records for all tight ends, rookie or not. If he continues his current pace, he should end the year with 1,252 yards, six touchdowns, and 119 receptions, which would set the single-season reception records among tight ends. The current record is 116 receptions, set by Zach Ertz in 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89).
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
While Bowers may be having a generational year for tight ends across NFL history, he's also just having a great receiving year among the rest of the NFL in 2024. Among all NFL players, Bowers ranks fourth in yards with 884, directly behind Terry McLaurin and right above CeeDee Lamb, for reference. His aforementioned 84 receptions also lead the entire NFL, with Ja'Marr Chase and Lamb tied in second place with 79.
All of this proves that Bowers is purely having one of the better years by a tight end in NFL history, regardless of being a rookie. Showing that he should at least be receiving more consideration for the ROTY award. While the current odds say +1000 the reality of the situation is his chances of winning are much lower than that.
The numbers don't lie and emotion can get in the way of voters, but Bowers has the game on tape and stats to prove he is a legit contender to etch his name into the NFL history books.
Bowers' next chance to win over voters is on Sunday, Dec. 8, against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tampa, which, according to Eric Moody of ESPN, should be a "favorable matchup."
