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ALEMEDA -- Rod Streater has been hastily waiting for clearance to practice again. The Raiders receiver was out eight full weeks with a fractured foot but was finally allowed to join his teammates on Monday.
It was a difficult down period, especially the last few weeks when he was eligible to practice on short-term injured reserve. The drought has finally ended.
“It felt good, a little winded out there just trying to get back in the flow of things, but it felt good being able to cut and run full speed,” Streater said. “It felt good to be back out there with my team.”
[RELATED: Streater returns to practice]
It’s uncertain, yet unlikely that Streater will be ready for Sunday’s game at St. Louis, but the third-year pro believes he’s nearing a return.
“I think I’m close,” Streater said. “I went through pretty much the whole practice without any pain, cutting full speed, catching it, so I felt good. I think I’m very close.”
Streater said his routes were a bit off on his first day back and he felt fatigued, but believes those things will get fixed in time. He’s only played three games with Derek Carr as quarterback, so chemistry will also be important.
“That’s going to be a big thing,” Streater said. “I’ll probably put in a little bit of extra time after practice getting the timing down, but I feel like I didn’t miss a step really. Little routes were off, but that’s going to come. That’ll come back real quick.”
The Raiders have certainly missed last year’s leading receiver. Pass catchers not names James Jones have been inconsistent in securing receptions and creating separation. Streater would provide stability in that arena.
Need won’t force the Raiders to rush him back. They have 21 days to decide whether to activate him, or place him on season-ending injured reserve. They’ll make sure he’s 100-percent ready to go before making a move.
“We didn’t really do a whole lot out there, but he looked good doing what he was doing,” Raiders interim head coach Tony Sparano said. “We’ll have to see where he is here. We just have to be patient with it.”
