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I know a lot of Raiders fans wanted to see new general manager Reggie McKenzie make a big splash and compensate for having less than a full slate of draft picks by trading up in the draft.

McKenzie, in his first year as a GM, made one deal as he moved down 10 spots in the fifth round and added a seventh-rounder. However, there were no bold moves.

It was the right call because the Raiders have to stop mortgaging the future. Compensatory picks can't be traded, so the Raiders could only deal their fifth- and sixth-round picks this year. Those picks have little value, so McKenzie likely would have had to include future picks if he wanted to trade up and pick higher than No. 95.

The problem is Oakland has a reduced draft class again next year, so McKenzie would have been foolish if he dipped into that class. McKenzie is not a fool.

The Raiders still owe Cincinnati a first- or second-round pick next year and they still owe Seattle a fourth- or fifth-round pick in 2013. The Bengals, as part of the Carson Palmer trade, will get the Raiders' 2013 first-rounder if Oakland goes to the AFC title game. If not, the Bengals will get the Raiders’ second-round pick.

As part of the Aaron Curry trade, the Seahawks will get either Oakland's fourth- or fifth-round pick based on Curry’s playing time.

The Raiders were bailed out by three compensatory picks this year. Don’t expect much of a comp-pick haul next season. The Raiders signed several free agents and lost Jason Campbell and Michael Bush to Chicago as free agents. So, unless Bush goes off in Chicago or Campbell has to play because of an injury to Jay Cutler, the Raiders aren’t going to get much in the way of comp picks. Yes, Oakland released several players who caught on elsewhere but released players are not part of the comp-pick formula.

Thus, Oakland is looking at a small draft class for one more year. McKenzie is playing it smart by being patient and careful. By 2014, it should pay off with a full draft class.

The Oakland Raiders will now play five games in 2012 that start at 10 a.m. PT.

The Raiders’ Week 2 game at Miami has been switched from a 4:15 ET p.m. kickoff to 1 p.m. on Sept. 16. The time was changed to accommodate fans who celebrate the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

This is the first time in team history that Oakland will play in the Eastern Time zone five times. For years, West Coast teams have said playing games that start at 10 a.m. PT are quite challenging because of the early time adjustment.

In other AFC West news:

Steve Muench of Scouts Inc. writes in an Insider piece that Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore could be a late-round fit for Denver, and Chattanooga quarterback B.J. Coleman could be a late-round find for San Diego.

There is late buzz surrounding Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry. I could see him on the Charger’s radar at No. 18, or if they make a trade down.

The murder trial of former Raiders’ defensive lineman Anthony Smith ended in a mistrial.

Chicago signed Tampa Bay linebacker Geno Hayes. He visited Denver several weeks ago.

In an Insider piece, Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. looks at the draft challenges that face the Raiders.

Peyton Manning's first appearance in a Denver Broncos uniform will come against a former Denver quarterback.

The NFL announced Denver will open the preseason at Chicago and against Jay Cutler. The game will be closely watched around the country. It will be Manning’s first game action since 2010. He missed all of the 2011 season with a neck injury.

Below are the preseason schedules (most of the dates have not been announced) for each AFC West team. Every team in the division but Kansas City received a nationally televised game. As previously announced, the annual Oakland-San Francisco preseason game will not be played this season. There was severe fan violence at last year’s game.

Denver

Week 1 at Chicago

Week 2 vs. Seattle

Aug. 26 vs. San Francisco, 4 p.m. ET, Fox

Week 4 at Arizona

Kansas City

Week 1 vs. Arizona

Week 2 at St. Louis

Week 3 vs. Seattle

Week 4 at Green Bay

Oakland

Aug. 13 vs. Dallas, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Week 2 at Arizona

Week 3 vs. Detroit

Week 4 at Seattle

San Diego

Aug. 9 vs. Green Bay, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Week 2 vs. Dallas

Week 3 at Minnesota

Week 4 at San Francisco

An NFL.com columnist reports some scouts believe Peyton Manning began to slide some before his neck injury last season. My thoughts? He’s 36. We are not going to see the 2004 Manning, but would you bet against that guy having solid season in the next couple of years? Nah, me neither. Meanwhile, a Sports Illustrated piece follows Manning’s process as he chose to play with the Broncos.

As expected, Manny Lawson is not going to be a Raider. The defensive end/linebacker is headed back to the Bengals.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting former Giants’ running back Brandon Jacobs is heading to the Bay Area. But he‘s going to the San Francisco 49ers, not the Oakland Raiders. Jacobs was considered a potential replacement for Michael Bush, who signed with Chicago, but the Raiders have too many other needs and too much salary-cap limitations to sign a player like Jacobs. Oakland will likely look for a bigger back later, perhaps in the draft.

The Denver Post looks at the Broncos’ remaining needs.

Jay Cutler’s former backup is going to Cutler’s former team.

ESPNChicago.com is reporting that the Denver Broncos have signed former Chicago quarterback Caleb Hanie — who played collegiately at Colorado State — to a two-year deal.

Hanie, 26, played well in relief of Cutler in the NFC title game in the 2010 season. However, he was dreadful as Cutler’s injury replacement in 2011, going 0-4 as a starter. The Broncos like the mobile, athletic Hanie because they think he is a better fit for their offense than he was for Mike Martz’s in Chicago.

I thought the Broncos would try to sign a more experienced veteran like recent San Diego cut Billy Volek. The Broncos talked to Volek, but were more interested in Hanie.

Hanie will be the man in Denver if Peyton Manning – who missed the entire 2011 season with a neck injury – can’t play. The Broncos are convinced Manning will be fine.

Let’s face it: The Broncos will be dire straits if Manning, 36, misses a huge chunk of time, regardless of who is the backup. In Hanie, Denver gets a player it thinks can adjust to its system. Watch for Denver to perhaps add a quarterback in some point in the draft.

We knew this was likely going to happen, and the Raiders really had no choice. But now they have to deal with no longer having a special running game.

Oakland can’t be criticized for giving safety Tyvon Branch the franchise tag over reserve running back Michael Bush. Branch is a starter and a key part of a defense in transition. He had to stay. However, that decision likely meant that Oakland's wicked run attack would take a hit.

That became official Thursday when Bush signed with the Bears, joining former Oakland starting quarterback Jason Campbell in Chicago.

Now, the Raiders have to hope starting RB Darren McFadden can somehow become durable. When McFadden went down with a season-ending foot injury in October, Bush took over. When McFadden was healthy, he and Bush were a dynamic 1-2 punch.

Currently, small and injury prone second-year player Taiwan Jones is McFadden’s backup. Jones is super fast and he is a weapon, but I see him more as a change-of-pace guy and as a third-down weapon. I’m not sure if he could hold up if he had to start for a long period of time.

McFadden has missed 19 games in four seasons and has never missed fewer than three games in a season. Fullback Marcel Reece is a terrific all-around player, but he has just 47 career rush attempts.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. believes if McFadden can stay healthy, the loss of Bush will be survived.

“I love McFadden, but he is always hurt and I think his running style lends itself to injuries,” Williamson said. “Jones is very intriguing going into his second year, but he certainly can’t carry the load. I do expect Jones to be a big-play guy this year that develops in the passing game Reece is interesting. He isn’t at all the average fullback. He just does everything, including playing a major role in the passing game.”

Instead of backing up Darren McFadden, Michael Bush will be backing up Matt Forte.

However, Bush did do fine financially. He reportedly is getting $14 million over four years with $7 million guaranteed. There is no way the Raiders would be able to give Bush that type of money at this point in the process.

Bush could end up starting in Chicago. Forte was franchised and he could hold out. He could also leave after the 2012 season.

Bush entered free agency hoping to get a starter’s job after being a career backup in Oakland. Interest in the entire running back class was small and no starting jobs ever developed for Bush.

This was the best combination of opportunity and salary for Bush. He can’t be blamed for not going back to Oakland for lesser compensation. If Bush does get the chance to start because of a Forte holdout, he needs to prove that he can handle being the starter. His production dipped as last season progressed when he was the starter after McFadden was lost for the season in October.

I will be back later with thoughts on how this impacts the Raiders’ offense.

The Raiders have re-signed right tackle Khalif Barnes. He started all 16 games in Oakland last season. The team may opt to give second-year player Joe Barksdale a chance to start. Barnes will provide excellent depth and insurance if that ends up being the case.

NFL Network reports the Raiders brought in former Packers defensive back Patrick Lee on a one-year deal. He played for new Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie with the Packers. This move was strictly a depth and a special-teams signing.

The Colts have signed Oakland free-agent center Samson Satele. He was expected to return to Oakland. The Raiders are expected to move left guard Stefen Wisniewski to center and play former right guard Cooper Carlisle at left guard. Newly signed Mike Brisiel will play guard. Former Colts’ center Jeff Saturday is visiting Denver this week andmay be reunited with Peyton Manning.

In other AFC West news:

ESPNChicago.com is reporting Denver is visiting with former Chicago backup quarterback Caleb Hanie. The Colorado State product likely would be the No. 3 quarterback in Denver.

Former Kansas City receiver Joe Horn said the Chiefs had a bounty program when he was there and he said every NFL team has a program. I would be shocked if the NFL investigated the Chiefs based on Horn’s comments. He played for the Chiefs from 1996-99.

The slow running back market moved some Wednesday when New England’s BenJarvus Green-Ellis agreed to terms with Cincinnati. That could help move along Michael Bush's process.

The Oakland backup tailback has suffered from the slow market. He is likely out of the mix in Cincinnati. He is also getting interest from the Bears, Seahawks and Jets. Maybe the Green-Ellis agreement may move things along faster for Bush.

I could see Oakland getting back in the mix. The problem is Oakland has other needs and limited cap room. Bush could be interested to going back to Oakland because it doesn’t look like he will get a starter’s job, at this point. If he has to remain a back-up, Bush may want to continue to play in Oakland.

For years, the theme in Denver was the Broncos were searching for their next John Elway.

Leave it to Elway to finally get the job done. It’s been a windy road at the most important position on the field in Denver since Elway -- who became Denver’s top football decision-maker last year -- retired after the 1998 season and back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

The Broncos now have greatness at the position again in the form of Manning. Let’s review what has happened during the often frustrating journey between Elway and Manning in Denver:

Brian Griese

Years as Denver’s starter: 1999-2002

Comment: Griese had the impossible task of replacing Elway. He had his moments, but he was not a special player and Denver couldn’t handle seeing the dip at the position.

Jake Plummer

Years as Denver’s starter: 2003-06

Comment: Plummer was probably better than he was given credit for. He won his share of games in Denver, but, again, he wasn’t a special player.

Jay Cutler

Years as Denver’s starter: 2006-08

Comment: He is the poster boy of Denver’s frustration at quarterback in its post-Elway existence. Cutler flourished under coach Mike Shanahan and he seemed like he was on his way to being an elite player for Denver. But he famously clashed with Shanahan’s replacement, Josh McDaniels, and he was shipped off to Chicago. It changed the course of the organization that has been felt all the way until Manning’s agreement to come to Denver.

Kyle Orton

Years as Denver’s starter: 2009-11

Comment: Acquired in the Cutler deal, Orton did a nice job for Denver, but he was just a journeyman.

Tim Tebow

Yeas as Denver’s starter: 2010-2011

Comment: He was McDaniels’ parting gift to Denver. Tebow started 16 games in Denver and it was a wild scene. But Elway was never comfortable with Tebow’s ability to be an NFL passer, and now it appears Tebow will be another quarterback who will be shown the door in Denver.

The free-agent running back market has been slow to develop and Michael Bush has been a part of that unexpected lag.

But interest in the Raiders running back's services has been picking up. ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Bush will visit the Seattle Seahawks on Tuesday. In Seattle, he’d be reunited with former Oakland head coach Tom Cable and former Raiders tight end Zach Miller.

Bush has already visited the Bears (where former Oakland starting quarterback Jason Campbell recently signed) and he is supposed to visit Cincinnati Monday. Former Oakland head coach Hue Jackson is on the Bengals’ staff.

At this point, it seems like Bush will not get a contract to start. Because of that, you would think he would consider remaining in Oakland as Darren McFadden’s partner. But because the Raiders have some cap restrictions and other needs (they are still hunting for several cornerbacks, including Shawntae Spencer and Tracy Porter), re-signing Bush right now may not be a top priority.

But if the market for Bush cools down, perhaps a return to Oakland would become more realistic.

Kyle Orton took the Jason Campbell route out of the AFC West.

A former starter in the division, Orton has quickly decided to further his career as the backup to Tony Romo in Dallas on a three-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tuesday, former Oakland starter Jason Campbell went to Chicago to back up Jay Cutler for a year.

Orton was the former starter in Denver and he started the final three games of the season in Kansas City and led the Chiefs to a 2-1 record. But Orton most likely didn’t find any starting opportunities on the market, so he went to a solid team as a backup.

Kansas City head coach Romeo Crennel, who inserted Orton as the starter in his first move as interim coach last season, often praised Orton. Crennel and Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli both expressed interest in Orton.

Yet, the Chiefs likely didn’t tell Orton he had a strong chance to compete with Matt Cassel. It would be strange if Orton bypassed a chance to compete to start to take a clear backup job.

This is another indication Cassel will remain the starter in Kansas City.

In the end, Jason Campbell signed with the Chicago Bears because it was the best backup job available. After realizing he wasn’t going to get any interest to compete somewhere for a starting job, Campbell took a one-year deal to be Jay Cutler’s backup.


The incredible turn of events for Campbell has continued. I truly feel bad for him. He deserves better.

Campbell was playing well last season as the Raiders’ starter when he broke his collarbone in October. Two days later, the Raiders sent two premium picks for Carson Palmer, and Campbell went from a valuable pending free agent to a player who is now a backup.

It is clear why Campbell wanted to leave Oakland. There is no way he’d want to stay and back up his replacement, Palmer, even though Campbell is now backing up a better, younger quarterback in Jay Cutler.

Kansas City probably wasn't interested in bringing Campbell in as competition for Matt Cassel. Even though Campbell played for Chiefs quarterbacks coach Jim Zorn in Washington. Kyle Orton is going to visit Dallas (where he too would be a backup), so it is an indication that Cassel may remain the starter.

I think Campbell would have been a formidable competitor for Tim Tebow in Denver, but the Broncos didn't want to do anything until the Peyton Manning sweepstakes was resolved.

Campbell jumped at what he thought was the best bet and he will have to hope he gets a chance to start sometime down the road.

Oakland fans should salute Campbell as he leaves town. He was a classy leader who stayed professional and supported the team after his injury. Lesser people wouldn’t have handled it as well as Campbell did.

The Oakland Raiders have been quiet in free agency so far Tuesday, other than seeing former starting quarterback Jason Campbell leave for Chicago.

This may be a reason: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports when free agency opened Tuesday the Raiders had a league low $639,966 of cap space.

Now, that will improve when the release of tight end Kevin Boss kicks in. Oakland could also cut linebacker Kamerion Wimbley and defensive tackle John Henderson. So, Oakland (which already cut three other players and restructured the contracts of several players) will get some enough cap room to sign a few players and sign their small draft class.

But the question for rookie general manager Reggie McKenzie is this: Why didn’t he do all of his salary-cap shaving prior to free agency starting. Players are signing at a fast rate. I know Oakland is going to bargain shop, but there is no reason why it should give other teams a head start for any player. The Raiders’ don’t have a starting quality cornerback on the roster and top cornerbacks like Cortland Finnegan and Carlos Rogers are already off the market.

In other AFC West news:

• UT-San Diego reported that the Chargers want former practice squader Frank Summers to be the repair fullback. Jacob Hester, if he is re-signed, would spell Summers and play special teams.
• Add the 49ers to the list of the teams that want Oakland receiver Chaz Schilens. The Phoenix native is visiting the Cardinals on Tuesday and the Jets reportedly like him, too.
• NFL.com is reporting Seattle tight end John Carlson will visit the Colts in addition to the Chiefs.
• The Raiders reportedly gave defensive lineman Desmond Bryant a second-round tender in restricted free agency. It would be a shock if another team tried to sign him to an offer sheet.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Denver will visit with Chicago free-agent safety Brandon Meriweather and Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr will visit the Dallas Cowboys.

Meriweather was cut by New England last season. He played in 11 games and had four starts for the Bears. I don’t think he would be an overly expensive pickup for Denver is he signs. The Broncos are looking for a veteran safety with Brian Dawkins considering retirement.

Dallas has been considered a top landing spot for Carr. There is little chance he will return to the Chiefs. The Chiefs signed former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.