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After electing to not tender an offer to exclusive rights free agent DeAndre Houston-Carson a few weeks ago, the Chicago Bears have decided to bring him back today on what is expected to be a more team friendly contract.
Houston-Carson will add some safety depth to the defense, but he’s made his money in the NFL on special teams. Last year he played the third most third-phase snaps on the team at 261 (61.3%), while making a team tying six tackles and recovering a fumble in that capacity. In 2017, he led the Bears’ special teams unit with 10 tackles and 2 fumble recoveries.
He’s played sparingly on defense with the Bears, and his career high in playing time came a year ago at just 46 snaps, but with a new defensive coordinator in place perhaps he’ll carve out a niche with the D.
I don’t think DHC being brought back will prevent the Bears from addressing safety in the upcoming draft, but he will provide some insurance at the position this offseason.