With an eye focused on the future, the Raiders are protecting one of their most important assets over the final two weeks of the season.

The club on Wednesday put star tight end Brock Bowers on the season-ending injured reserve list. Bowers has been dealing with a knee injury since the opening week of the season, and while he went on to play 11 more games and post a team-high 64 catches, 680 yards receiving and seven touchdowns, managing the situation was a week-to-week proposition.

“You feel for the player anytime something like that comes up,” Raiders offensive coordinator Greg Olson said. “It’s hard on everybody, but certainly more hard on the players. So you just feel for the player.”

In addition, the club put safety Jeremy Chinn on IR with a back injury.

In corresponding moves, the Raiders signed safety Terrell Edmunds and wide receiver Shedrick Jackson to the active roster. Both had been on the club’s practice squad.

In addition, they signed long snapper Luke Elkin and tackle Joshua Miles to the practice squad.

Focused on the future

With the Raiders (2-13) long out of playoff contention, it made little sense to expose Bowers or Chinn to potential harm in the last two games.

Bowers is far more important to the club than a meaningless win or two down the stretch. As is Chinn, who is under contract through the 2026 season and expected to be an important cog in next year’s defense.

Chinn started all 15 games for the Raiders and had 114 tackles.

“In terms of tackling, he’s a solid tackler, and he’s an impact tackler,” Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said. “You feel him out there on the field. You can hear it out there on the field. So that’s a big loss.”

Not to be lost is the Raiders are within reach of securing the first pick in the 2026 draft. All they have to do is lose their last two games, and they could have their choice between Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore, who are projected to be the top two quarterback prospects if they declare for the draft.

The New York Giants, who are also 2-13, are tied with the Raiders for the worst record in the league. However, the Giants hold the tiebreaker advantage over the Raiders by virtue of the strength-of-schedule metric.

It is unlikely the Giants would draft either of those quarterbacks since they turned to rookie Jaxson Dart to be their starter earlier this season.

The order could change Sunday when the Raiders host the Giants at Allegiant Stadium. A Raiders loss would move them into the top spot.

Second straight Pro Bowl

After being selected with the 13th pick in last year’s draft, Bowers has been one of the NFL’s dominant tight ends. Despite the knee injury, which ultimately sidelined him for three games and limited him in a handful of others, Bowers still led the Raiders in all pertinent receiving categories while earning Pro Bowl honors for the second year in a row.

“What a warrior he is, to be honest with you,” Olson said. “It’s one thing to play injured, but when you still play well when you’re injured, that tells you something about the person.

“So, yeah, we were fortunate to have him. It was certainly a letdown when we found out the news this week, because you didn’t see it in this play.”

With Bowers done for the season, it opens the door for third-year tight end Michael Mayer to be a bigger part of the offense. Mayer was a dominant player at Notre Dame and was expected to be a productive NFL tight end.

However, the presence of Bowers has meant a more confined role for Mayer, especially in the passing game, where Mayer has 23 catches for 192 yards and a touchdown.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

Up next

■ Who: Raiders vs Giants

■ When: 1:05 p.m. Sunday

■ Where: Allegiant Stadium

■ TV: CBS

■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)

■ Line: Pick ’em; total 41½