Bears need to bring back DeAndre Carter |
Chicago brought DeAndre Carter back to be the punt returner in 2024.
After the Velus Jones experiment at kick returner failed, Carter also became the kick returner. He was solid in both roles, particularly as a kick returner, averaging 31.9 yards per return. As a punt returner, he had 9.3 yards per carry. Unfortunately, Carter’s season was cut short due to a hamstring injury that landed him on injured reserve (IR). Safety Josh Blackwell took over as the punt returner, and wide receiver Tyler Scott as the kick returner in his absence. Blackwell did much better as the punt returner with an average of 20.9 yards per return, including a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers in the season finale that garnered NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Scott performed about the same as Carter. Carter is set to become an unrestricted free agent (UFA) in March. His contract with Chicago this past season was only for $1.2 million, including his signing bonus. Therefore, he is a very affordable player and also gives the Bears a reliable option for a kick returner. Thus, the Bears should sign him to another contract. Having a reliable player at such a crucial yet undervalued position is just one reason to keep Carter around next season. The Bears could also use some veteran leadership with a lot of NFL experience, something Carter brings, given how young Chicago’s roster is and potentially will be next season. His journey to the NFL is rather unusual. He was undrafted coming out of college and started trying out with various NFL teams in 2015. It was not until 2018 with the Philadelphia Eagles that Carter had the chance to play in an NFL game. However, he would only spend seven games with Philadelphia before being released and subsequently picked up by the Houston Texans, where he spent all of 2019 and part of 2020 before his first stint with the Chicago Bears. In 2020, Carter played four games with the Bears. He did not get much action in those games, returning only four punts for 30 yards. After that, he spent a year with the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Chargers, and Las Vegas Raiders before returning to the Bears last year. With his experience and the adversity Carter has been through in his career, he is a player special teams coordinator Richard Hightower has spoken highly of. After his season-ending hamstring injury, Carter continued to be involved in meetings and help his teammates. That kind of team-oriented mentality is not something that can be taught. He also brings a lot of wisdom with all the teams he has played for, which could be valuable for Chicago going forward in developing other players. In addition, Carter can step back into his kick returner role next season, although there may be competition between him and Blackwell for the punt returner role. Another benefit of Carter is that he also provides depth in the wide receiver room if the Bears need it. Chicago has two of their top receivers set for the near future: DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. However, Keenan Allen may not come back next season. Therefore, it is good to have a player like Carter, who is familiar with the players and the culture who can potentially step in as a wide receiver if necessary. This did occur last season as Carter recorded nine receptions for 72 yards last season. Given his age of 31 and because he will be 32 by the time next season starts, this most likely will be another one-year contract. It should not be difficult to get Carter to sign a one-year contract, given that it would be the first time since going into the 2020 season that he has played for the same team in consecutive seasons.
