Before taking Lynn Bowden Jr. in the third round of this year’s draft, Jon Gruden had been looking for a do-it-all type skill player to be the “joker” in his offense.
Now he has Bowden Jr. and Gruden is plugging in his new ‘Wide Requarterback’ at just about every skill position on offense.
“Lynn Bowden Jr. has flashed his versatility. The rookie has lined up all over the place: Wildcat quarterback, running back, split out wide at receiver and taking kick and punt returns,” The Athletic’s Tashan Reed reported wrote Saturday.
“He may not make a huge statistical impact this season, but that positional flexibility should give him plenty of opportunities to get on the field in various situations. He’s stocky in person at 204 pounds and has looked fluid taking carries out of the backfield. It’s hard to judge his runs since defenders can’t tackle him yet, but one thing that’s stood out is he has a long way to go as a pass blocker.”
Gruden’s offense can be a full plate to learn for any player, so it will take time for Bowden Jr. to learn an even more extensive role in the offense. Not to mention Bowden Jr. will have the usual growing pains that rookie running backs tend to deal with.
Several reports from training camp have talked about Bowden Jr. having issues in pass protection, but it’s worth noting that Jalen Richard was also very shaky in protection as a rookie. Now Richard is one of the better running backs in the league in terms of pass protection.
Hopefully the same can soon be said of Bowden Jr., too.
twitter: @raidersbeat
I can’t wait to to see bowden play In NFL
Because I’m so old, when I first learned of what Lynn Bowden Jr. was/is capable of, as a football player, my mind immediately took me back to a player named Sam Havrilak, of the 60s Baltimore Colts and to the Raiders own George Blanda. Given his college history and what has been reported of his football prowess, thus far, if he learns to kick field goals, punt or kick off, he could indeed become a modern day triple threat. Surely, based on what has been reported, he could conceivably catch, run for and throw a touchdown at some point in his career. If he either punts, kicks off or kicks a field goal imagine what he could command, in the open market, after his rookie contract is up. I hope that he embraces the challenges and becomes proficient at any one of and possibly all three aspects of the game. May he truly become the NFL’s new modern day Iron Man.
“Joker”Bowden, Jr.
The Raiders have a solid player at any position! Plug him in…..
Coach, Me and Lynn “ Trust” You Man!
You don’t trade Bowden for Yannick **** that
You don’t have to wait for Carr and Mariota to get hurt like they did at Kentucky before giving him the QB job. We know what they can do. His potential at QB may be miles above these two guys. Give him the shot or maybe Joe Flacco is available.
For raider fans that might not know, Lynn has never played traditional RB where he needed to pickup rushers.
Know this though, he’s tough as they get, and as he learns technique he won’t back down from anybody.