Reggie McKenzie has been a busy man since the start of free agency – signing a marquee trio of players in the past several weeks – but the Raiders general manager isn't done quite yet, although, he did admit that the Silver and Black are likely done with spending on big ticket items.
"I'm never done," McKenzie told Alex Marvez and Tom Pelissero on SiriusXM NFL Radio. "With all that money, we're probably done with that big spending, yes, but [there are] always ways to improve your roster. It doesn't have to be a whole lot of big money players."
While they may be done with the big spending, McKenzie and the Raiders did make a big splash in free agency – earning high marks across the board from national pundits – beginning with the acquisition of highly-touted offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele.
"He [Osemele] is a guard that can play tackle, so that's just the added plus that we have with him," McKenzie explained. "The bottom line is he's a good football player, and you have to pay for good football players. That's just the way it goes. Anytime you play in the free agency market ; money is going to be involved. You just have to set your mind to it that that's the way it is."
He continued, "You have to be strong in the middle of that line. You have to be strong up front, period, across the board, and that's what we want to be across the board."
While Osemele undoubtedly bolsters the Raiders' offensive line, McKenzie's other two major acquisitions came on the defensive side of the football in the form of linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerback Sean Smith.
In particular, the addition of Irvin adds another piece to an already formidable pass rush spearheaded by All-Pro defensive end, Khalil Mack.
"Those guys got the size," McKenzie said when speaking about Mack and Irvin. "They have the athleticism, the speed, and Bruce is not the power player that Khalil Mack can be, but Bruce can do multiple things. Our coaching staff is going to be a great job of putting him in positions to make plays. We're all looking forward to that."
During his four seasons in Seattle playing for the Seahawks, Irvin proved to be a quality pass rusher, and McKenzie is hopeful that the athletic linebacker will be able to get to the quarterback more in Oakland.
"You have to let him do it, and that's what we did with Khalil last year," McKenzie said. "He rushed a whole lot more, so I definitely think [Irvin's] pass rush productivity will increase."
McKenzie also addressed the addition of Sean Smith, who provides an infusion of talent to a group that struggled mightily at times during 2015.
"He brings valuable experience and he brings a skillset," McKenzie said when describing Smith. "With his size, and length, and ability to cover – especially with the way we play our corners – he's going to fit right in. It's just the right fit."
The Raiders didn't meet all their goals last year, but they undoubtedly created some positive momentum heading into the offseason – momentum McKenzie has carried through the first few weeks of the new league year.
Said McKenzie, "I tell you what if we keep going the way we're going now, and we get to Napa healthy, I think this team will do some good things this year."
