Raiders Shuffle Scouting Department, Fire Jon Kingdon

New Oakland general manager Reggie McKenzie didn't wait long to re-organize his scouting department after the NFL draft, cutting ties with long-time Oakland Raiders employee Jon Kingdon, who has been with the organization for 33 seasons, according to NFL.com.

Kingdon most recently served in the role of director of college scouting, and although there has been no official word about how the team will fill his role, the team has been linked to current New York Jets vice president of college scouting Joey Clinkscales, who was a teammate of McKenzie when the two played at the University of Tennessee (via NY Daily News).

It's not uncommon for general managers who are hired by new teams at the beginning of a given offseason to keep the scouting staff intact through the draft and accordingly re-evaluate it shortly thereafter. It appears that McKenzie has adopted that strategy, and it will be worth keeping an eye on potential other changes to the Raiders personnel staff.

After being hired this offseason to assume control of the Raiders football operations, McKenzie has worked hard to rid the team of unfavorable contracts and cut ties with players that he didn't view as a part of Oakland's long-term plan.

The Raiders were strapped for draft picks this year, having traded away their top two selections to the Bengals and Patriots, respectively.  

McKenzie has done well to make the most of a difficult situation, and the Raiders will look to remain competitive in the AFC West in 2012 after finishing 8-8 a season ago.