Newsletter: DeAndre Carter Aims to Solve the Unlucky Return Role
Perhaps this is finally the right player to fill the need.
The Browns will not be trading for Dak Prescott. Just wanted to get that out of the way now.
Scott will elaborate more on the difficulties of that fantasy situation tomorrow but it was such a jarring thing to see that I had to at least say something off the top. Here is the report with “inside information” in case you’re lost.
Anyway, let’s get back to real business now. As a part of being busy last week I didn’t get the time to go in-depth on each of the Browns moves in a busy weekend and want to spotlight each of them. I spent some time in a Film Room on Teven Jenkins that you can find HERE, and we will also spend some in-depth time on Jerome Baker later in the week as well.
But, just as in real ball we can’t ignore special teams. The Browns added to that department last week and it’s worth discussing. For an update on the units, they moved on from veteran long snapper Charley Hughlett, let De’Anthony Bell leave for Seattle, but did work out a deal for Exclusive Rights Free Agent, and core member, Winston Reid. It would still be well-served to bolster the core and specifically the returner role. DeAndre Carter seems to be that answer.
There is a fair question if the role is cursed given the results of recent seasons. It started with Jakeem Grant (torn achilles, torn patellar tendon) missing the 2022 and 2023 seasons with gruesome injuries. Then the Browns tried again with Nyheim Hines who was recovering from a torn ACL suffered before the 2023 season and was unable to go in the 2024 season at all.
The Browns have been trying to find the role but they just can’t get a successful player on the field. The draft had swings for the likes of Demetric Felton but he couldn’t quite grasp handling punts with consistency. Anthony Schwartz, loaded with unique speed, nearly suffered a career-ending concussion trying to return a kick in New England. The best option for any return role was Donovan Peoples-Jones, who did return a punt for a touchdown, but it’s never healthy having a key contributor returning kicks long-term.
Hines was an exciting option for the new kickoff roles but his inability to get on the field was deflating as his NFL career is getting dicey around the injury. Plenty of swings for the organization but few success stories.
DeAndre Carter is the latest attempt as the Browns brought him in on a one-year $800,000 deal that allows the 11-year veteran to focus on the returner role alone and potentially provide a boost. That is the hope anyway.
Let’s check some film on his return work of late.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Browns Film Breakdown to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.