The Buffalo Bills have made quite a few changes at the wide receiver position since general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott arrived in Western New York. Gone are Sammy Watkins, Robert Woods, and Marquise Goodwin, who have been replaced with Zay Jones, Jordan Matthews, and Andre Holmes (and Matthews, of course, has since been replaced by Jeremy Kerley...and the Bills added Kelvin Benjamin last year, as well).
With all of the changes the team has made, many fans still feel as if the position is lacking in a few things, with speed and separation ability being chief among them. In the latest installment of our “90 players in 90 days” series, we examine a veteran looking to provide the Bills with just that.
Name: Rod Streater
Number: 81
Position: WR
Height/Weight: 6’3” 200 lbs.
Age: 30
Experience: 7
College: Temple
Draft: Acquired as an undrafted free agent by the Oakland Raiders following the 2012 NFL Draft
Financial situation (per Spotrac): Streater signed a one-year reserve/future contract with the Bills in January. He is slated to make $790,000, although he will only carry a cap hit of $630,000.
2017 Recap: Streater’s 2017 was off to a promising start, as he appeared to have a great shot at making the club as the third wide receiver after a strong start to training camp and the preseason. It seemed like Streater made a big play each day during camp, and he was continually mentioned as one of the Bills’ top performers in practice. He caught 2 passes for 40 yards in his one preseason outing before dislocating a toe. The injury caused him to miss the entire 2017 season.
Positional outlook: The Bills aren’t overflowing with talent at the receiver position, so Streater stands as good a chance as anyone in making the final roster. Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones look to be the starting players, with Jeremy Kerley a good bet for the third receiver job. From there, Streater will compete with Andre Holmes, Kaelin Clay, Brandon Reilly, Malachi Dupre, Robert Foster, Cam Phillips, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Austin Proehl.
2018 Offseason: After re-signing with the Bills, it’s been pretty quiet in terms of news about Streater.
2018 season outlook: While he looked to be a lock to make the 2017 club before his injury, Streater is anything but a sure thing for the 2018 roster. He’ll need to fit in with new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll’s offense, and he’s also facing challenges from younger players. Streater’s speed and toughness bode well for him, but his lack of true game-changing production (nearly half of his NFL production comes from his 2013 season while with the Oakland Raiders) combined with his age make him anything but a sure bet. If he has a strong camp again, he could make the team, but if any of the younger players are equal to him in terms of production and potential ability, it’s likely that he’ll be looking for employment elsewhere.