NAPA, Calif. -- The Oakland Raiders came back from their first day off from training camp with a Wednesday evening workout.
It wasn’t exactly the team’s most crisp workout of camp. But first-year Oakland coach Jack Del Rio said that’s simply a part of the process of training camp.
“The energy was pretty good early. The execution was OK early. We tailed off a little bit,” Del Rio said. “That’s part of the conditioning, which is part of what camp is all about. The eagerness was good. I just feel like it wasn’t quite as crisp at the end as it was early in practice, but a lot of good effort being put forth and certainly growing. Every day you have like that, when you’re out here straining and working and competing, you’re growing as a team.”
In other Raiders notes:
None of the Raiders’ injured players, most notably receiver Rod Streater, tight end Clive Walford and running backs Trent Richardson and Roy Helu, were practicing Wednesday. Del Rio has said none of the injuries are serious. Helu was working on the side. Walford, a third-round pick, has not worked at all during training camp. He was a star in the offseason workouts and he has been expected to be an immediate contributor in the regular season.Del Rio did not seem worried about the injury issue Wednesday.“I think we’re progressing along just fine with the guys that are hoping to join us,” Del Rio said. “I feel good about the work that’s going into that.”
Newly signed veteran receiver Michael Crabtree continued to star. He made several more big plays. On the flip side, third-year cornerback DJ Hayden struggled trying to cover Crabtree. Hayden’s camp has been a lot like his first two NFL seasons -- inconsistent. Second-year cornerback Keith McGill, who is competing for a starting job with Hayden, had a better day than Hayden, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2013 draft.
San Francisco cut cornerback Chris Cook. He is 6-foot-2, 212 pounds. The Raiders like bigger cornerbacks and they are looking for veteran help. But Cook played sparingly last year and is not considered an impact player. I don’t know if he’d make the Raiders better.
