CHICAGO – The Chicago Bears have re-signed special teams expert DeAndre Carter, who last played for them in 2020.
The Bears announced on Tuesday that Carter had been signed to a one-year contract, as per ChicagoBears.com.
Carter will compete for a spot on the team following changes to the NFL’s kickoff rules this offseason.
Last year, Carter played for the Las Vegas Raiders, appearing in all 17 games. He led the team with an average of 9.7 yards per punt return and 23.8 yards per kickoff return.
Before the Raiders, he averaged 11.7 yards per punt return with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2022, ranking second in the NFL among qualified returners.
In 2020, Carter played four games with the Bears after being waived by the Houston Texans. During his time with the Bears, he returned four punts for 30 yards and caught three passes for 17 yards in the NFC Wild Card loss to the Saints.
This offseason, the NFL updated its kickoff return rules. Kickoffs will still start at the 35-yard line, but players cannot move until the ball touches a player or the ground.
Under the new rules, the kicking team will line up 10 players at the opposing 40-yard line, while the receiving team will have nine players between their 30 and 35-yard lines, with two returners inside their 20. Only the kicker and returners can move before the ball is touched or falls between the goal line and the 20-yard line, and kickers are prohibited from crossing the 50-yard line.
