SANTA CLARA – Newly acquired wide receiver Rod Streater has spent late nights learning the 49ers' offense, as the team continues preparations to face the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night in the season opener.
"I'm ready to go," said Streater, whom the 49ers acquired in a trade Saturday with the Kansas City Chiefs. "I'm preparing like I'm playing."
And for good reason. It's almost a certainty that Streater, one of five wide receivers on the 49ers' 53-man roster, will be in uniform and make his 49ers debut.
"He has picked things up rather quickly," 49ers coach Chip Kelly said on Thursday. "When you get a veteran who's been in the league, the biggest thing for those guys is just, what's the terminology? And how do you communicate it?
"They've all run the same type of routes. They run a fade. They run a jet. They run a post. They run a corner. They run a shallow cross. You know, all the routes that everybody runs in the NFL. It's just bridging that gap from a terminology standpoint, and Rod has picked it up really well."
Torrey Smith and Quinton Patton are the 49ers' starters on the outside. Jeremy Kerley, recently acquired in a trade with the Detroit Lions, will be the team's starting slot receiver.
San Francisco 49ers
That leaves Streater and rookie Aaron Burbridge, a seventh-round draft pick, as the only other receivers on the team's roster. Streater arrived on Sunday morning after the 49ers acquired him one day earlier. He has quickly tried to get acclimated to Kelly's system.
"It's a little more up-tempo. I like it, though," Streater said. "The receivers are all interchangeable. You can play any position. It's a really good offense. I feel like I fit here.
"He likes guys who can play inside and outside with speed. And you got to be smart. I feel like I can learn the plays pretty fast, and I can play inside and outside. That's the most important thing is to learn the plays and be interchangeable."
Streater caught 60 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns for the Raiders in 2013. But he played in just four games the past two seasons due to a foot fracture that required surgery in 2014. He signed with Kansas City in the offseason.
Streater is trying to build a rapport quickly with 49ers starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
"He has a quick release," Streater said of Gabbert. "He's very athletic and gets the ball to you very fast. I'm very impressed with him."
