ALAMEDA — Chris Morris liked his chances of becoming the Oakland Raiders starting center this season, even as he practiced with the team’s backups nearly all of training camp.

The fourth-year offensive lineman’s beliefs were validated this week when the Raiders cut John Wade and promoted Morris ahead of Samson Satele to start Monday night’s season-opener against the San Diego Chargers.

“That was definitely the goal,” Morris said. “It was different having a couple of guys that they foresaw being ahead of you at that point. I was putting together some pretty good games and trying to work on my technique a lot during practice. I think just doing good helped me out.”

Morris becomes the third different starting center for the Raiders in three years and fourth in the last five. Jake Grove, the starter in 2008, signed with Miami as a free agent this past offseason.

When Oakland made Wade one of its final roster cuts last Saturday, coach Tom Cable stunned reporters by announcing Morris would start against the Chargers.

“Whatever limitations he has, he overcomes them with his brain and knowing where to put his body, and knowing how to get there,” said Cable, a former offensive line coach. “He just kind of plugs along and just keeps grinding and trying to perfect what he does.”

For Morris, starting the Raiders’ season-opener is reward for his patience.

“I’ve always focused on center because I always knew I’d have to play that in a pinch,” Morris said. “I always studied it and made sure I was ready for it. It feels fantastic. But the work doesn’t stop here. I can’t let anything slide or else I could be back as a backup.”

Raiders Notes

RB Justin Fargas (hamstring) was held out of practice but is expected to work out with the team on Friday. ... CB Nnamdi Asomugha practiced on a limited basis and wore a thick bandage around his left wrist, which has a chipped bone and cartilage damage. Asomugha is still expected to start against San Diego in the nationally-televised opener on Monday night

Seymour still missing

Richard Seymour failed to report to Oakland for a second straight day Tuesday after being traded from the New England Patriots.

“I really have nothing to report on that,” Raiders coach Tom Cable said. “Nothing has changed at this point.”

Seymour made five Pro Bowls in five straight years. Two days after he was traded, Bill Belichick didn’t want to talk about dealing him.

“Because we don’t have rights to Richard, there really isn’t anything I can say about him or his situation,” Belichick said Tuesday.

He refused to say whether the trade had been completed in the wake of Seymour’s failure to report to the Raiders on Monday and Tuesday, although the defensive end was listed on the Raiders roster on its Web site.