The Chicago Bears are on break, gone from Halas Hall until they reconvene for training camp on July 20. However, there is still work to be done.
General Manager Ryan Poles remained active, inking veteran receiver and return man DeAndre Carter.
Bears Sign WR/KR DeAndre Carter to Contract
DeAndre Carter Bolsters Bears WR Room, Return Game
?Former Chargers and Raiders WR/special teams ace DeAndre Carter is signing with the #Bears, per source,? Bleacher Report?s Jordan Schultz reported on X on June 13. ?More speed for Caleb Williams in Chicago with the NFL?s new kickoff return rule in play.?
Carter, 31, entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State in 2015 with the Baltimore Ravens.
He split his rookie season between the Houston Texans and Philadelphia Eagles. Carter has also spent time with the Washington Commanders, New England Patriots, and San Francisco 49ers. This is Carter?s second stint with the Bears. He spent part of the 2020 season with Chicago.
DeAndre Carter Reunited with Former Teammates, Coaches in Chicago
He arrives to several familiar faces in wide receiver Keenan Allen and tight end Gerald Everett. Bears wide receivers coach Chris Beatty was also in LA.
Carter has 108 receptions for 1,259 yards and six touchdowns in his career.
His best season as a receiver came in 2022 with the Chargers when he set career highs with 46 catches for 538 yards and three scores. However, Carter?s greatest asset is his ability in the return game.
With the new NFL rules on kickoffs beginning this coming season, having two returners back will be key to taking advantage.
The Bears already have youngsters in Velus Jones Jr. and Tyler Scott.
Adding an experienced returner in Carter could help in both the kick and punt return games equally. Carter was one of nine players who returned at least 20 punts and 10 kicks in the NFL last season.
Former Bears QB Explains Impact New Kickoff Rules
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton ? the former New Orleans Saints coach and Bears quarterback ? has been one of the more excited figures discussing the change.
He predicted changes to personnel, not just in how the play itself looks.
?It’s going to be pretty significant,? Payton told reporters on June 4. ?There’s a box you got to kick it into, it’s a rectangle, and you want the ball to land there. And you understand all of it, you understand why you’d gain an 11th guy if it wasn’t a kicker.
?The body types relative to who’s returning will be interesting and certainly the body types along the front lines, I think, will be a little bigger because there’s less running involved. But the plays are going to be fast. We had a period yesterday and I was sitting right at the front lines when everyone’s waiting for the ball to be caught almost like you were tagging up on a deep fly ball.
?It’s caught, you can go. But they’re very quick and developing um so I think it’s going to be exciting and certainly new.?
Jones and Scott have endured ups and downs in the return game.
The Bears brought in veteran Trent Taylor last season. He had a minimal impact beyond bringing the ball in securely, which had been a challenge for his predecessors last season. The Bears are set up well with Carter to take advantage of the new rules.
