ALAMEDA – Opponents are predictably bland on conference calls with out-of-town press, fearful of putting bulletin board material out there to outlets players can easily access. That generally keeps real opinions quiet, but Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown was honest about Raiders struggles covering tight ends.

McCown said he saw “some areas to take advantage of that,” even without a top tier receiving tight end at his disposal. They have Gary Barnidge, a seasoned veteran used primarily as a blocker.

Not so on Sunday. McCown targeted Barnidge 10 times in 46 pass attempts, producing seven completions for 105 yards and a touchdown. The yards and catches were career highs. Tyler Eifert and Crocket Gillmore achieved personal bests in Week 1 and Week 2, respectively.

It’s still a problem for this Raiders defense that hasn’t been remedied yet. In a good mood following Sunday’s 27-20 win at FirstEngery Stadium, head coach Jack Del Rio had fun with his response to ongoing tight end issues.

[BAIR: Raiders snap count: Shuffle on defensive depth chart]

“We’re going to try to see if we can remove that – there’s a cloaking device I think that they have,” Del Rio with a laugh. “Somehow they are going right down the field without us being able to see them. We’re going to see if we can remove that cloaking device.”

Last week, Del Rio said the solution came down to execution. The Raiders had to do a better job covering their guy. It’s that straight-forward.

According to Pro Football Focus, several players were covering Barnidge during his 10 targets, from linebacker Malcolm Smith to safety Charles Woodson to the active cornerbacks. None of them had great success.

[BAIR: Raiders CB Carrie fares well in surprise position switch]

“It is actually very simple, but we haven’t done it very well to start the year,” Del Rio said. “We’ve certainly addressed it and we’ll continue to work on it.”

NOTES

-- Del Rio was non-committal when asked about a possible return for defensive tackle Justin Ellis, who has missed two games with a sprained ankle.

“I’m not sure about that,” he said. “I think we’ll know more and see if we have him back at practice on Wednesday. Hopefully that is the case.”

-- Defensive tackle C.J. Wilson, cut in the preseason and re-signed after Ellis’ injury, suffered a calf strain against Cleveland. He was in a large walking boot leaving FirstEngery Stadium.

-- Cornerback TJ Carrie played his first game at safety on Sunday, and Del Rio wouldn’t say whether he’d remain at the position after playing well at that spot.

-- Amari Cooper remains in the mix to return punts. He didn’t do much with two opportunities, one of which went for a 9-yard loss. There is injury risk with the role, but the Raiders seem comfortable with it considering his big-play ability. He could take occasional reps there in the future.

“There’s an element for anybody that’s put out there,” Del Rio said. “I think you do play the game. He’s certainly a guy that we think is a real good football player, that we’ll be able to do some things in space provided we give him the opportunity with some blocking.”

-- The Raiders snapped an 11-game road losing streak on Sunday and won two games in a row for the first time since 2012, but Del Rio isn’t worried about the team getting overly confident heading into a Week 4 matchup with the struggling Chicago Bears.

“We’ve got way to much work to do,” Del Rio said. “We respect everybody. We fear nobody. Certainly we understand a lot of talented players and coaches that work real hard. We’re going to do our best each and every week to prepare and put together the best active 46 we can and go compete.”