What is a meniscus trim? Explaining Brock Bowers' recovery timeline, more about surprise knee injury

In fairly surprising news on Wednesday, just days before the Las Vegas Raiders kick off their 2026 season, ESPN reported that their star tight end won't be ready for Week 1.

Brock Bowers underwent a meniscus trim on Tuesday that will sideline him moving forward, per Adam Schefter. 

Bowers' knee injury wasn't out of the blue ahead of Week 1, but there remains some ambiguity about when he could return based on the procedure he underwent.

Here's what to know about Bowers' knee procedure, its difference to a meniscus tear and when the tight end may be back for the Raiders.

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What is a meniscus trim?

A meniscus trim is a partial meniscectomy, meaning the damaged part of the meniscus is removed. Per Cleveland Clinic, a surgeon will "trim the damaged cartilage away from your meniscus and leave healthy tissue in place."

The procedure is used for less severe tears, making a few small cuts around the knee to remove only the torn portion of the cartilage. 

Meniscus trim vs. meniscus tear

The difference between a meniscus trim procedure vs. needing a full repair for a tear depends on the severity of the injury. 

Meniscus trims remove only the damaged portion of the cartilage, while a full meniscectomy would extract the whole piece of cartilage, something that is rarely done today unless the damage is extreme.

A meniscus repair, meanwhile, is a procedure for the injury in which the surgeon stitches the torn edges back together to heal. That requires a far longer recovery period than the trim.

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Meniscus trim recovery timeline

Meniscus trims are considered more minor procedures than a full repair, but they do require some time to recover.

While someone can typically put weight on the leg soon after the trim procedure, light physical therapy is typically required after 2-3 weeks to restore range of motion, with further physical therapy for strengthening. 

An athlete like Bowers will typically be able to make a full recovery quicker than the average person, but the procedure he underwent could require a few weeks to heal. 

When will Brock Bowers return?

ESPN reported that Bowers is expected to miss "a game or two" to open the season, which isn't a concrete timeline — but it will likely depend on how his quickly his knee recovers from the procedure.

It appears Week 3 could be a target return for the star tight end, meaning he's at risk of missing Las Vegas' games against the Dolphins and the Chargers.

Brock Bowers injury history

Bowers, who was reported as getting banged up "a little in camp" by ESPN, also has a history of knee injuries that could further complicate things.

Early in the 2025 season, he initially played through a posterior cruciate ligament injury and a bone bruise in his left knee, injuries suffered in Week 1. But Bowers then missed three games to recover, and after playing in 12 games total, he was placed on IR to end the season.