Getty The Bears brought receiver and return specialist DeAndre Carter in for a visit.
The Chicago Bears have re-signed tight end Jesper Horsted, according to the NFL’s April 4 waiver wire. The Bears also brought free agent wide receiver and return specialist DeAndre Carter in for a workout.
Horsted signed a one-year deal as an exclusive rights free agent. The team initially tendered him on March 8, preventing him from negotiating with other squads, so this move was an expected one. The 25-year-old tight end became a fan favorite over the last few years in the Windy City despite not playing much, making the most out of his limited opportunities with memorable moments like this:
JESPER HORSTED.
His third TD catch of the game!
📺: #CHIvsTEN on @NFLNetwork (or check local listings)
📱: t.co/fuBaH7nb4O
Now, he’ll get a chance to show what he can do in the absence of Jimmy Graham and Jesse James, both of whom are free agents and unlikely to return to Chicago.
It remains to be seen whether Carter, who would be a likely replacement for the now-departed returner Jakeem Grant, impressed with his try out.
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Horsted Is an Intriguing Young Player
Horsted signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2019, and while he spent most of the year on the practice squad, he wound up playing in six games, catching eight passes for 87 yards and a touchdown.
He was on Chicago’s practice squad again in 2020, where he remained for the entire season, but he made the 53-man roster a second time in 2021. Despite playing mostly on special teams (he played 53% of the team’s ST snaps last year), he showed enough flashes to warrant bringing him back.
Horsted caught just two passes for 21 yards last year, but both were touchdowns. He was on the receiving end of quarterback Justin Fields’ first touchdown pass, and he led all pass catchers in the preseason last year with three receiving scores.
Justin Fields finds Jesper Horsted in the end zone
First career passing TD for the Bears rookie 😤
(via @NFL)
Considering his age, and his relatively clean injury history, Horsted could be the perfect ‘U’ tight end compliment to Cole Kmet’s ‘Y.’
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DeAndre Carter: Background & Stats
Carter, who turns 29 on April 10 played his college ball at Sacramento State. His best season was his senior year, when he finished with 99 receptions for 1,321 yards and 17 touchdowns in 12 games.
He went undrafted in 2015, and bounced around the league for several years, landing on the practice squads of the Baltimore Ravens, the then-Oakland Raiders, the New England Patriots and the San Francisco 49ers before making the Philadelphia Eagles‘ active roster in 2018. The Eagles waived him after seven games, and he landed in Houston with the Texans before also making a brief appearance in Chicago in 2020, playing in four games, returning four punts for 30 yards.
The 5-foot-8, 188-pound Carter landed in Washington last year, and he had a career year, catching 24 passes for 296 yards and 3 TDs. He also had 10 rushes for 89 yards, and he returned 16 punts for 134 yards, while also returning 36 kicks for 904 yards and a dynamic 101-yard TD:
Fumbles have been an issue for Carter. He has had 12 fumbles in 60 career games, which is a concern, but he could be one of the better potential replacements for Grant currently on the market. Carter also has a workout with the Los Angeles Chargers planned, so if the Bears are interested, they had better scoop him up.
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