The Raiders’ tight end pairing has been a headache for opponents all season, but the Seahawks may be bringing the kind of matchup pieces that can at least make life miserable for Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer in Week 10.
Bowers and Mayer have been the heartbeat of a strong Las Vegas offense, and the production has been hard to miss. Bowers has been operating like a wide receiver in a tight end body, piling up nearly 100 yards and a touchdown per game without dipping below 70 yards. Mayer, meanwhile, has already reached career highs across the board as his role has grown.
Still, Seattle’s defense looks like the rare unit built to answer that challenge. Devon Witherspoon and Nick Emmanwori give the Seahawks two defenders who can line up in different spots, match movement, and bring the kind of size-speed combination that makes tight ends work for every inch.
Witherspoon is the obvious headliner. He’s one of the league’s top coverage players, and Seattle paid him like it this offseason with a four-year, $132 million deal.
His versatility is part of the appeal - he can work outside, in the slot or near the box - which gives Seattle options if it wants him tracking Bowers wherever the Raiders move him. Quarterbacks have posted an 86.0 passer rating when targeting Witherspoon this season, and that number stands out even more because he’s been assigned to the other team’s top receiver and still hasn’t had an interception inflate the stat.
Then there’s Emmanwori, who is built like a matchup problem before the ball is even snapped. At 6-foot-3 and 227 pounds, he brings rare size for a defensive back, along with the kind of athletic profile that makes him such a difficult player to pin down.
Against Arizona last week, he spent time on Trey McBride and didn’t allow a catch while covering him. Mike Macdonald clearly liked what he saw in that role.
That matters here because Mayer is the more traditional in-line tight end, which makes Emmanwori the natural candidate to spend time on him. If that happens, Seattle could have one of its best cover defenders on Bowers and a big, physical mover on Mayer. That’s a tough assignment for any offense.
But the Raiders do have ways to push back.
Fernando Mendoza is now at quarterback, and there isn’t much film for Seattle to lean on. That makes the game plan a little trickier for Macdonald and his staff. Klint Kubiak also knows Macdonald’s system well, and that familiarity could help him find openings.
And while Witherspoon is elite, he’s still 5-foot-11. Bowers is 6-foot-3 and outweighs him by 60 pounds.
That size edge matters, especially when Bowers is fighting at the top of routes. He should also have a chance to win on high-point throws, and Mendoza’s back-shoulder accuracy gives Las Vegas another route to attack that matchup.
Mayer has a different path. He isn’t nearly as athletic as Emmanwori, but he is an inch taller and 40 pounds heavier.
That gives the Raiders a shot at turning some of these snaps into 50-50 balls if separation isn’t there. Mendoza can put those throws up and let his tight ends go get them.
Kubiak’s familiarity with both players adds another wrinkle. After spending a year around them in practice every day, he knows where the weak spots are, and he has already used them well enough this season to get them open against strong defenses.
So yes, Witherspoon and Emmanwori are a real problem. They may be the best possible answer Seattle can throw at Bowers and Mayer.
But that doesn’t mean the Raiders’ tight ends are about to disappear in Week 10. Not with their size, their role in the offense and the quarterback now in place to feed them.
I’ll take our guys.
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Head coach Klint Kubiak said the Raiders will stick with their offensive approach with Mendoza under center, which says plenty about how they want to handle the transition. It also sets up a revealing first test for the rookie, because the team is not easing him in with a scaled-back plan, and the matchup waiting for him should tell a lot about how ready he is for the speed and demands of the league. [Read more 🡒]