An injury goes from “week-to-week” to “day-to-day,” and you’re supposed to feel hope. For a guy who rewrote the NFL record books as a rookie last year, eclipsing a mark set by Mike Ditka (112 catches and 1,194 yds), he has been awfully quiet. Brock Bowers is a ghost in the Raiders’ machine. And Pete Carroll is trying to get him back into existence.

The truth is, Bowers’ knee has been a problem since Week 1. He played through it for 3 games, a tough-guy act that eventually gave way to the sideline. He sat out Sunday’s brutal 40-6 loss to the Colts, and now the Raiders are trying to figure out what comes next. “We’re trying to make sure that he’s ready to come back and stay back,” Carroll said, a coach’s way of admitting the first plan didn’t quite work. Bowers has just 19 catches for 225 yards and zero TDs this season. That donut in the TD column is the stat that really stings.

Carroll, ever the optimist, tried to reframe the timeline on Wednesday. He’d called it “week-to-week” on Monday. Now? “That’s the way I’m looking at it. I’m waiting for tomorrow (for him to say), ‘OK, I’m OK,’” Carroll said, flashing a grin. He confirmed Bowers will do “walkthrough stuff” and “be in the game plan,” just in case.

“So, if he gets a chance to play, then he’ll be ready to go as best we can in that regard.” It’s a classic bit of coaching psychology. “I’m a little more optimistic than other people and so I’m going with day-to-day,” he concluded. “It makes me feel better.” Don’t we all wish it were that simple?

Of course, reality has a way of cutting through the coach-speak. As Carroll was framing his day-to-day hopes, the digital ticker tape brought the news via Adam Schefter: Brock Bowers did not practice today due to his knee injury. A splash of cold water on the eternal sunshine.

But here’s the rub: one injury is never just one injury. It sends ripples through the whole building. 

While one star waits, the roster scrambles

The Raiders’ Pro Bowl punter, AJ Cole, is now iffy. He suffered a low-ankle sprain on a blocked punt against the Colts, a play where kicker Daniel Carlson took over punting duties. So, the team signed Brad Robbins to the practice squad, a 6th-round pick from last year who was just cut by the Bills. Welcome to the churn.

To fill other gaps, Carroll is calling on some familiar faces. The Raiders signed linebacker Jon Rhattigan off the Steelers’ practice squad, a player Carroll coached back in his Seattle days. “Jonny Rattigan is a really good football player and he’s always been a guy in the middle of your teams that’s been effective and tough and aggressive and all of that. West Point grad and all that,” Carroll said, the nostalgia evident.

“He’s the real deal and we’ve loved him when we had him, so we had a chance to pick him off somebody else’s team and we did it.” They also added another linebacker, Jamin Davis, a former first-rounder, to the practice squad. “He has been out for a while, but he’s got a lot of history in the plays that he’s made,” Carroll noted. “I see a lot of potential in him and I’m anxious to see what we can do with that.”

There is some good news buried in the IR. TE Michael Mayer has cleared concussion protocol, and starting corner Eric Stokes was back on the field.  “He is going to be practicing today, which we’re fired up about,” Carroll said.

Even Maxx Crosby, who admitted he was both sick and banged up last week, was an FP with a knee issue. Little victories in a week that feels defined by who isn’t there, along with his dream teammates.