As Raiders G.M. Reggie McKenzie continues to settle in as the new captain of the team’s front office, he’s not afraid to overturn the decisions of his predecessor, the late Al Davis.
Per a league source, McKenzie and company will be waiving today cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke.
Van Dyke, a third-round pick in 2011 who appeared in 14 games with four starts last year, fit the former vision for the franchise. He was fast. The fastest man at last year’s Scouting Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds.
The move comes two days after the Raiders and McKenzie parted ways with cornerback Chimdi Chekwa, a fourth-round pick in 2011 who ran the 40 in 4.33 seconds at the Combine. Both Chekwa and Van Dyke are listed as second-team corners in the Raiders’ most recent depth chart, with Shawntae Spencer and Ron Bartell the starters. Joselio Hanson recently was added to the team, which apparently triggered the decision to dump Van Dyke.
Van Dyke will now hit the waiver wire, with the Colts continuing to have dibs.
The broader message is that McKenzie must see something in the player the team took in the third round of the 2011 supplemental draft, quarterback Terrelle Pryor. Otherwise, he’d be gone, too.
Then again, who knows what the next move from McKenzie will be?