Raiders’ McKenzie wins top executive honor
A little more than two years after enduring a 16-game losing streak, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie was named the NFL Executive of the Year by the Pro Football Writers of America on Thursday.
The only three players remaining from the Al Davis era are kicker Sebastian Janikowski, long-snapper Jon Condo and running back Taiwan Jones.
The turning point came in 2014, when McKenzie drafted defensive end Khalil Mack in the first round and quarterback Derek Carr in the second round.
Receiver Amari Cooper, the team’s first-round pick in 2015, has had consecutive 1,000-yard receiving campaigns, and running back Latavius Murray, a sixth-round pick in 2013, earned a Pro Bowl bid in 2015.
[...] 10 players drafted by the Raiders in the fourth round or later since 2013 have started multiple games for the team.
McKenzie signed four key unrestricted free agents in 2016: PFWA All-NFL guard Kelechi Osemele, linebacker Bruce Irvin, safety Reggie Nelson and cornerback Sean Smith, to go with 2015 unrestricted free agent signee and 1,000-yard receiver Michael Crabtree.
The PFWA also named Dallas coach Jason Garrett as coach of the year and Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as the assistant coach of the year.