The Oakland Raiders’ secondary is improving in practice according to cornerback David Amerson.

That is despite the fact that fans haven’t seen much of anything good from the back end of their defense through two preseason games. And a good reason for this reality can be attributed to the presence of newly acquired assistant head coach — defense John Pagano, according to Amerson.

“I think he’s definitely added more detail to our defense, especially in the secondary and especially within the last week or so . . . He’s definitely cleared a lot of things up for us.” Amerson said during media availability Thursday.

Amerson went on to compliment Pagano’s specific knowledge of the defensive back positions, both CB and safety, before explaining how his approach has helped the younger players on this Raiders roster.

“Nowadays, offenses have a lot they can give you. It’s one thing if someone comes and lines up in a bunch formation and OK boom, you’ve got this. But people start shifting, moving around and different things like that.

“There are different calls, and you have to understand what everybody else is doing and what’s going on in order to work together . . . [Pagano is] making it so we can go out there and play fast. I think he’s done a great job of doing that,” Amerson concluded.

When Pagano was brought in during the offseason, many suspected that defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr.’s job may be in jeopardy, especially given Pagano’s different title with the team and the way Oakland’s talented defense performed last season.

However, both Pagano and Norton have been working in unison to get a defense with many new pieces to play up their standards. Norton appeared to be serving as more of a motivational leader during training camp in Napa, and now it seems (from Amerson’s comments) that Pagano is more responsible for the team’s scheme, communication and implementation.

With rookie safety Obi Melifonwu set to make his first preseason appearance Saturday, hearing how Amerson feels about one of the defense’s new leaders should be very encouraging for Raiders fans.