Eagles’ Kentavius Street Explains Mental Hurdles of NFL Injuries

The new Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle is one of a host of "lottery tickets" general manager Howie Roseman has taken a chance on this offseason.

When it comes to a massive contract extension for Philadelphia Eagles’ star quarterback Jalen Hurts, the end game is when not if.

And that has general manager Howie Roseman, the reigning NFL Executive of the Year, shifting into a new roster-building philosophy.

One of the avenues Roseman has tried to exploit this offseason is taking flyers on several talented players who haven’t quite lived up to their expected potential after being slowed by injuries at the onset of their NFL careers.

Those who fit in this category are a host of one-year free-agent signings Roseman has coined “lottery tickets,” a group that includes running back Rashaad Penny, cornerback Greedy Williams, safety Justin Evans, and defensive tackle Kentavius Street.

Street, a North Carolina State product, tore his ACL at his pro day in advance of the 2018 draft and the potential Day 2 selection fell into the fourth round when San Francisco felt the cost-benefit analysis made sense at No. 128 overall.

The Georgia native redshirted his rookie season and slow-played year two before finally becoming part of the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive line rotation by 2020, his third in the NFL.

Street took SI.com’s Eagles Today and other reporters on a deep dive through the hurdles of a major injury for an NFL player earlier this week. The physical challenges are often obvious but the mental ones are often greater, according to Street.

“My ACL injury was like my first major injury,” he said. “I dealt with maybe a sprained ankle or a strained hamstring here and there. But it really put me to the test mentally and emotionally.

"That was probably the first time I had truly been tested.”

A theme that emerges with most players when they are injured is the isolation away from the team, something Street echoed.

“As a football player, you’re always tested physically and a little bit mentally because of conditioning and everything,” said Street. “With the injury, I was really for the first time away from my team, and I really missed that chemistry.”

Left to his own devices, Street had to find others in his life to lean on in an attempt to manufacture the energy and optimism needed to tackle the rehabilitation process properly.

“I had to learn to really depend on those outside of football to lift me up on days where I couldn’t bring myself to the standard that I should have been at,” he said. “I learned to keep valuable people in my circle, and not just people who want to be around me.”

There was also a silver lining that Street, who is set to turn 27 next month, learned earlier than he likely would have if he had stayed healthy coming out of NC State.

“I also learned a bunch about my body, to eat right, sleep right,” he said. “I was a young kid then, and I felt like I was Superman. The injury, I think, truly is going to benefit me in the long run because I learned how to take care of my body at an early age.”

It took Street about 17 months before he started feeling like himself again.

“As crazy as COVID was, I felt like that was the first time I felt normal,” he said. “So I would say that year. Those first two years, I was dealing with so much turmoil emotionally and mentally, I couldn’t really focus on the football part of it. And I was also injured

“So being able to be a whole man at that point in 2020, and also being healthy, I was able to put my best foot forward.”

That best foot was 15 games with a very good San Francisco defense by 2020 and full seasons over the last two campaigns, the latter of which he moved to New Orleans where he played 46 percent of the defensive snaps for the Saints last season.

Over the last two seasons, Street has generated 6.5 sacks and put enough on film to be deemed a worthy "lottery ticket" by Roseman as a potential contributor on one of the deepest defensive lines in the NFL. 

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen