HENDERSON, Nev. -- Ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders' matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, tight end Brock Bowers said he's "ready to roll" after missing three straight games to recover from a knee injury.
"The first part of the season was tough [and] not feeling 100%, but I'm closer now," said Bowers, who was a full participant in practice Wednesday.
Bowers was sidelined from practice for two straight weeks before returning Oct. 17. He also participated in the Raiders' two practices during the bye week and on Monday.
Raiders coach Pete Carroll said Bowers looks like he's playing at full speed.
"He's back," Carroll said. "Last week, he looked good every day, particularly good on the Monday practice. And he kind of stole the show a little bit. So, we're thrilled to have him back."
Bowers played through a posterior cruciate ligament injury and a bone bruise in his left knee that he suffered in the Raiders' season-opening win over the New England Patriots, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
The All-Pro pass catcher was active from Weeks 2 to 4 before he was shut down. While playing through an injury, Bowers totaled 14 catches for 122 yards and 8.7 yards per catch.
In his absence, the Raiders relied on tight ends Michael Mayer, Ian Thomas and Albert Okwuegbunam. Mayer has nine catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in the past two games.
Bowers said it was "brutal" to be told by the coaching staff that he had to sit so he could receive proper rest.
"It sucked, to be honest," Bowers said. "But it's in the past. I'm excited to get back out there."
Bowers looks forward to the Raiders' passing game coming back together. It showed potential against the Patriots in Week 1 when quarterback Geno Smith threw for 362 yards, a touchdown and an interception, with Bowers catching five passes for 103 yards.
Since then, Las Vegas has struggled. In the past six games, the Raiders have totaled 946 passing yards (32nd), a league-high nine interceptions and a quarterback rating of 26.6 (31st).
"Brock is a big part of our offense, and we missed him out there for sure," Smith said. "He looked fine to me. So, really happy to have him back."
In other injury news, starting defensive end Maxx Crosby (back) and defensive tackle Adam Butler (back) did not practice Wednesday. Both players sustained injuries in the Week 7 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Carroll, however, anticipates both players playing Sunday.
"[Butler will] probably practice on Friday, but we think he's fine. We're just giving him the maximum amount of rest that we can," Carroll said. "[Butler and Crosby] are on the same program; we expect them both to play."