Kansas City Chiefs: A healthy Rod Streater the missing piece?

One of the Kansas City Chiefs best players, Sean Smith, left to the division rival Oakland Raiders this offseason, but the Chiefs themselves may have scooped up a helpful– albeit not-as-good– player from their adversaries at a fraction of the cost.

Albert Wilson, Chris Conley, and Demarcus Robinson are three names that come to mind as potential surprise players at the wide receiver position for the Kansas City Chiefs, but maybe Rod Streater deserves as much attention as these three younger players. Conley’s ridiculous athletic tools give him the jump in the breakout conversation, and he’ll likely get the first crack at that No. 2 job.

However, the only wide receiver behind Jeremy Maclin on the Chiefs depth chart to have success in this league is Streater, and it’s easy to forget how well he played in his last healthy season.

Back in 2013, Streater set career-highs across the board for the Raiders with 60 receptions, 888 yards, and four touchdowns. He was one of the lone bright spots on a 4-12 team quarterbacked by Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin, as both passers combined for a QB Rating under 75.0.

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Despite averaging 14.8 yards per reception, Streater was the only wide receiver on the Raiders with a 60.0% catch rate that season. Of course, that’s what happens when your quarterbacks complete 57.4% of their passes as a whole, and when your second-best wideout is situational deep threat (at best) Denarius Moore.

That season helped Streater make a name for himself as a fan favorite, and the former undrafted free agent out of Temple became a breakout candidate of his own. Unfortunately, the 6’2″ receiver with 4.46-second wheels appeared in just four games thereafter.

Sep 3, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Oakland Raiders receiver Rod Streater (80) celebrates with receiver Seth Roberts (10) after catching a 28-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

In 2014, Streater played in just three games due to a foot injury, as he was never recalled from the short-term injured reserve. In 2015, Streater was technically a healthy scratch in every game but one, which is concerning, because it could mean that he never recovered from his injury or was never conditioned properly.

So why should Chiefs fans hold out hope for a player who hasn’t seen the field at all and isn’t exactly young either at 28?

Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws a touchdown pass during the first half against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs won 24-10. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports /

Well, aside from his speed (which may have diminished) and 2013 statistics, Streater did garner interest in free agency from other clubs. Most notably, both the New York Jets and New England Patriots looked into signing him, and these are two quality NFL programs who have a cast of productive veterans at wide receiver.

The consensus is that Streater is an above-average NFL wide receiver when he’s healthy, but will he ever get to that point for the Chiefs? They have a good offense on their hands with Maclin, Travis Kelce, Jamaal Charles, Spencer Ware, and Charcandrick West surrounding Alex Smith. Throw in the massive free agent signing of Mitchell Schwartz and a trio of young wideouts, and you have the makings of a team that can be ranked higher than 27th in yards per game and 16th in net yards per pass attempt.

Streater’s health is a huge question mark, and the fact that he was only able to sign a one-year deal worth $810,000 and $110,000 in guaranteed is a perfect illustration of this. An equally effective gauge of Streater’s value, however, is the part of his contract that says he can make an additional $4 million in incentives.

Totaling 888 receiving yards on an offense that was 24th in the NFL in passing yards is no short feat, and it’s telling that no running back on the Raiders had 800 rushing yards. Streater is not a star, but modestly gambling on his health with a dirt cheap, incentive-laden contract is a good way of diversifying a portfolio that largely contains gambles on young players. Why not gamble on someone who has done it before?

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Kansas City Chiefs: Is a healthy Rod Streater the missing piece?

By Kevin Parvizi | Jul 19, 2016

One of the Kansas City Chiefs best players, Sean Smith, left to the division rival Oakland Raiders this offseason, but the Chiefs themselves may have scooped up a helpful– albeit not-as-good– player from their adversaries at a fraction of the cost.