Issues and opportunities in abundance

For the second straight preseason game, Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio will start his postgame news conference Saturday night addressing some off-field issues. Like Sean Smith’s arrest Thursday for felony assault and why the cornerback did or didn’t play against the Rams.

Smith probably will play. Running back Marshawn Lynch, who surprised Del Rio by sitting for the national anthem before last Saturday’s opener, will play. Rookie corner Gareon Conley, whose injury-related tweets Del Rio also addressed first at the podium last Saturday, will not play.

Throw in left tackle Donald Penn’s holdout and all the national hype surrounding the team coming off a 12-4 season, and you have a lot of distractions.

All Del Rio can do is focus on his team’s performance and say everything else is not important. There might be warning signs of a team struggling with an extra load, but just maybe, it isn’t.

On the field, Del Rio will start all the players whom he gave a pass in last Saturday’s game: defensive end Khalil Mack, linebacker Bruce Irvin and the nine offensive starters not named Marshall Newhouse or Vadal Alexander.

If you want to see Derek Carr and Amari Cooper, don’t miss the first quarter. They’re not guaranteed to play much longer than that.

“How much? Not really set on that yet,” Del Rio said Thursday. “Typically, you go into the second quarter, maybe even deep into the second quarter. We’ll see how it’s all going. Kind of a play total in mind in terms of conditioning that I think we need to get. We’ll adjust as we need to, but that’s the plan.”

Del Rio said that as the trucks were packing up all the trainingcamp equipment behind the Napa Valley Marriott. The Raiders spent 18 days there for training camp, and though a lot wasn’t settled, the backup-quarterback spot essentially was.

EJ Manuel, Buffalo’s firstround pick in 2013, got the majority of the second-team snaps at practice, and was much sharper than second-year QB Connor Cook. Manuel also played ahead of and better than Cook in the loss to the Cardinals last Saturday.

The facade of the two being even has gotten old, even for Del Rio.

“I think the time we had here and the first game the other night, I think (Manuel) has done a little more (than Cook), done enough to be in the second slot,” Del Rio said. “I think they’ll continue to alternate reps and both get opportunities to show us. I’m pleased with both of the guys. I thought both guys operated pretty darn well the other night.”

Besides Manuel, it will be the home fans’ first look at former Green Bay tight end Jared Cook. He had a great camp, and makes last year’s sixth-ranked offense even more dangerous.

There aren’t that many jobs on the line on offense, though how well tackles Newhouse and Alexander play might determine how long general manager Reggie McKenzie maintains his hard-line stance with Penn. Penn outplayed his contract last season, but he’s 34 and wants another $5 million.

There is a pretty good competition for the No. 5 receiver spot (and maybe Oakland keeps six). Johnny Holton is fast, has improved his route running and is a key player on special-teams coverage units. K.J. Brent and Jaydon Mickens have impressed offensive coordinator Todd Downing, Brent with his tough inside catches and Mickens with his speed out of the slot.

“K.J. and Jaydon are two guys that were on the practice squad last season, and we knew that they were poised to break on to the active roster,” Downing said. “Fortunately, last year we stayed healthy in the wide-receiver department.

“So they didn’t get their chance during the season. But we knew they were going to make a push, and they both had great camps.”

Rookie middle linebacker Marquel Lee will start for a second straight week. Another rough preseason game or two and the Raiders might go to Plan B and sign an experienced linebacker, likely off another team’s waiver wire in two weeks.

Besides Conley, rookie safety Obi Melifonwu won’t play against the Rams. Conley missed the entire camp with a leg injury. Melifonwu, the team’s secondround pick, did get in a handful of days before coming down with an undisclosed injury. He was cutting in his workout with trainers Wednesday, and is closer to returning than Conley.

Conley, who had a scar on his injured leg on Instagram pictures he shared, started running Sunday.

Del Rio was asked if he was starting to get worried that Conley won’t be ready to play in the opener at Tennessee on Sept. 10.

“I don’t think we’re there,” Del Rio said. “Obviously, the next couple of weeks will be huge.”