Oakland Raiders Free Agency Period Preview

December 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (left) and owner Mark Davis (right) before the game against the Buffalo Bills at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland Raiders’ free agency period needs to be a good one this year and newly hired head coach Jack Del Rio knows it. He didn’t have the overoptimism at the introductory press conference the last two coaches had and say, “We can win with the roster we have.” Instead, when asked about the roster Del Rio said, “I believe that there are some good pieces in place and there is some work to be done.”

Shortly after, G.M. Reggie McKenzie was asked about his plans to use all the money he has under the cap. And his reply was, “Free agency, that’s not the first way I want to build a team, it’s through the draft.”  But McKenzie has built first through the draft and while he has drafted well the last couple of years, the Raiders just went 3-13.

Plus according to the C.B.A., McKenzie has to spend at least 90 percent of all that money under the cap. So he might as well bring in some high-impact free agents and if he does, you never know what could happen next year. McKenzie needs to hit it big in free agency, not just the draft and I have some ideas here.

Turn the page to see what I have.

Next: Josh Gordon Reclamation Project