Raiders QB Derek Carr hopes to play vs. Arizona Cardinals Saturday

NAPA, Calif. — Derek Carr saw the play he wanted, waited for the route to develop and threw a rocket to his intended receiver.

For the Raiders’ quarterback, everything felt right. But T.J. Carrie was one step ahead.

Carrie jumped the route to intercept Carr’s pass and made his way up the right sideline as the final horn of Wednesday’s practice went off.

Most franchise quarterbacks would be fuming about ending a practice with a pick-six. Carr just shook it off and applauded Carrie, who has been one of the most improved players during training camp.

“T.J. made a great jump, read the play and he jumped it,” Carr said. “That kind of stuff is going to happen. As long as I’m going to the right place with the ball, I’ll be OK, but if I’m making dumb decisions then I’ll be mad.”

Carr said he prefers to see the secondary making big plays against him because that lets him know they’re improving.

The fourth-year quarterback, however, is more concerned with the players lining up next to him on offense.

He has yet to practice with the full first team this training camp. Left tackle Donald Penn is holding out and wide receiver Amari Cooper has missed five straight practices.

There could be a few new faces in the huddle for Carr if coach Jack Del Rio allows him to play in Saturday’s preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals.

“I hope I do (play),” Carr said. “That’s up to the coaches. I don’t think I’ve shown any signs of anything all offseason and now, so I hope I’m out there, but we’ll see.”

Carr hasn’t played in a game since breaking his leg against the Colts in December.

Roberts feeling better

Wide receiver Seth Roberts opened up about playing through a double hernia for most of the 2016 season.

Roberts had a down season and is now competing with Cordarrelle Patterson for the third receiver spot behind Cooper and Michael Crabtree.

“It was a real struggle mentally,” Roberts said about the injuries. “I got through the season. It wasn’t my best and I didn’t feel my best, but I made it happen. Coaches got me through it.

“There are strong guys here who really believed in me. (Carr) keeps coming to me means a lot, and I think this year will be big for me.”

Rookies return

Rookies Obi Melifonwu, Eddie Vanderdoes, David Sharpe and Jylan Ware returned to practice.

Melifonwu, who was selected in the second round, saw limited action after missing the previous three practices.

Vanderdoes, a third-round selection, missed Tuesday’s practice because of swelling in his knee. Carr compared Vanderdoes to former New York Giants and Raiders standout Justin Tuck.

“Very explosive, great hands,” Carr said about Vanderdoes.

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Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GManzano24 on Twitter.