Raiders’ Jack Del Rio confident heading into exhibition finale

Raiders’ Jack Del Rio confident heading into exhibition finale

Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said Monday he is “more pleased with the positive things than overly concerned” with things like his leaky run defense after consecutive preseason losses.

Del Rio said he thinks players were “overanxious” in Saturday’s loss to the Titans, and that’s why defensive players were blowing assignments and filling in the wrong gaps.

Most of the starters won’t play in Thursday’s preseason finale against Seattle, but Del Rio said there is still work to do.

Del Rio said he is excited about quarterback Derek Carr’s command of the offense and his team’s “good work ethic.”

The coach is downright giddy that the team has found not one, but two promising backup running backs in rookies DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard.

The Raiders waived 14 players and placed tight end Gabe Holmes on injured reserve to trim their roster to 75.

Defensive tackle Leon Orr, who played in three games last season, was the biggest name, if you don’t count tight end Colton Underwood, who became known when he successfully asked Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman for a date over the Internet.

[...] cut were receivers Max McCaffrey (brother of Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey), Joe Hansley and Nathan Palmer, center Ross Burbank, long snapper Andrew East, safeties Chris Edwards, Chris Hackett and Jimmy Hall, defensive back Tramain Jacobs, linebacker Lenny Jones, kicker Giorgio Tavecchio and guard Terran Vaughn.