The Georgia Bulldogs are coming off a bye week full of questions, and most circle back to the injury report.

The question that stands above all: What is the plan going forward without All-American tight end Brock Bowers?

In the Bulldogs’ game against Vanderbilt on Oct. 14, Bowers sustained a high ankle sprain and was later announced to be having tight-rope surgery on the ankle.

According to Dawgs Daily, the “standard” time for recovery for the surgery is four to six weeks. The timetable sets for Bowers to return around the time when Georgia will be playing Georgia Tech or in the SEC Championship game.

The question of, “What is next?” is warranted but I do believe it is an easy one to answer.

Easy Answer

Right away, you look to who else is in the tight end room. 

The man sitting on top of the depth chart is sophomore Oscar Delp. We already got a glimpse of what Delp is capable of when he took over for Darnell Washington late last season and during his time as the second string tight end this year.

Behind Delp, you have a pair of promising freshmen with Lawson Luckie and Pearce Spurlin. Luckie recently returned to action after having tight-rope surgery himself.

It is expected and almost guaranteed that Delp will be relied upon more in the final five weeks of the regular season with Bowers sidelined.

As an offense that works mostly in 12 personnel (two tight ends, two wide receivers, one running back), Luckie and Spurlin will see more of the field. 

This will give Georgia fans a glimpse of what is to come from the freshmen duo who were listed as 247Sports No. 2 and No. 5 tight ends in the class of 2023.

Who Else?

While I believe the rest of the tight end room will play a big factor the rest of the way without Bowers, I believe this will allow the wide receiver room to step into the spotlight a little more.

In ways, the production from the tight end spot has overshadowed Georgia wide receivers for the last two years. This season, Bowers leads all Georgia players in receiving yards.

Given the situation, guys like Marcus Rosemary-Jacksaint, Dominic Lovett and Rara Thomas will be looked to the rest of the way.

Lovett, a transfer from Missouri, and Thomas, a transfer from Mississippi State, have been good additions but have not fully lived up to expectations based on their previous seasons.

In 2022, both Lovett and Thomas were the leading receivers on their respective teams.

Despite their stats through the first seven games of the schedule, the Bulldogs’ passing game has been one of the best in the county. 

In the Bulldogs' Oct. 7 game against the Kentucky Wildcats, we saw the receiving group break out in a big way.

Rosemary-Jacksaint caught seven passes for 99 yards and a touchdown while Thomas had five completions for 63 yards and a score. 

Not including Bowers, Rosemary-Jacksaint and Thomas, nine other players on the Georgia offense had completions.

On a remaining slate that features unranked Florida (5-2), No. 16 Missouri (7-1), No. 12 Ole Miss (6-1) and No. 21 Tennessee (5-2), the offense is going to need more of that if they want to three-peat without Bowers for four to six weeks, potentially.

One bright spot for the Georgia offense is running back Daijun Edwards, who rushed for a career-high 146 yards against Vanderbilt.

Edwards is the top back on the depth chart with Kendall Milton, Branson Robinson and Roderick Robinson all down due to injuries.

Takeaways and Expectations

Going forward without Bowers, I feel we can see a mix of the normal twelve personnel mixed with a little more spread offense to get more wide receivers involved.

Without his best option on the field, we also get to see who quarterback Carson Beck will look to as his go-to target on offense.

There are reasons to worry with the injury to Bowers, but head coach Kirby Smart seems confident about the offense going forward when he spoke to the media during the bye week.

“If they think one guy is going to replace Brock Bowers, they’re wrong. If anybody thinks they have to be superman, they don’t need to be on our team,” Smart said. 

Garrett Pitts is the sports editor of The Covington News. He can be reached at gpitts@covnews.com.