Chargers and WR DeAndre Carter looking like a good fit

COSTA MESA — DeAndre Carter’s collection of NFL jerseys grew by one when the Chargers signed him as a free-agent kick- and punt-return specialist during the offseason. His story is more about perseverance, dedication and good, old-fashioned grit than sports collectibles, however.

The jerseys are more like a route map of Carter’s career, from Sacramento State to the Baltimore Ravens to the Oakland Raiders to the New England Patriots to the San Francisco 49ers to the Philadelphia Eagles to the Houston Texans to the Chicago Bears to the Washington Football Team.

Carter’s debut with the Chargers on Sunday marked his 61st game over six seasons in the NFL, pressed into action Sunday when wide receiver Keenan Allen suffered a hamstring injury in the first half of a 24-19 victory over the Raiders. Carter caught three passes for 64 yards and one touchdown.

In addition to returning kicks and punts, Carter is likely to be a prime target of quarterback Justin Herbert if Allen is sidelined for the Chargers’ game against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

“He’s a coach’s dream,” Chargers coach Brandon Staley said of Carter. “He’s just such a hard worker. He’s so unselfish. He does so many different things. He works extremely hard no matter what he’s doing throughout the day, whether he’s in a meeting, a lift or a walk-through.

“He’s a good player. We’re very fortunate to have him.”

Plenty of teams had their chance with the 5-foot-8 Carter. It’s been a long and winding road to the Chargers.

The Ravens signed Carter in 2015 after a stellar, four-year career at Sacramento State, an FCS school. They waived him, though. The Raiders, then based in Oakland, signed him to their practice squad and then released him. The Patriots signed him for the rest of the season and for all of their training camp in 2016.

The 49ers then signed him during the offseason in 2017 and he spent the season on their practice squad. The Eagles signed him in 2018 and he played seven games before they waived him. The Texans signed him and he played seven games in ‘18. He played 16 games in 2019 and nine in ‘20.

The Bears claimed him after the Texans waived him and he played the final four games with Chicago in 2020. Washington signed him in 2021 and he played all 17 games with the team now known as the Commanders. He set career highs with 24 catches for 296 yards and three TDs.

The Chargers, looking to upgrade in the offseason, took notice and signed him.

“A great situation,” Carter said in April.

Then he went to work proving he was more than just a return specialist.

“I don’t know if we knew that he was going to be this type of impactful receiver,” Staley said. “I think that’s been a pleasant surprise for us. We felt like he was a quality return man, which was the first reason why we wanted to join up with him, but then, I think, we quickly saw in the springtime that he was going to be a lot more than that. When I think of ‘Dre,’ I think of a football player, I think of a guy who can do a lot of things well. He’s done a nice job for us.”

Herbert said he bonded with Carter right away during offseason workouts.

“We kind of knew right when he stepped in here how special he was,” Herbert said. “He was able to play a lot more receiver than what is usual for a return specialist. He’s a special route runner, very smart, intelligent. That play, that touchdown that he caught (Sunday), we’ve thrown that a couple of times in camp throughout OTAs, throughout camp. It was really good to see from him.

“But I’m not surprised by his success either.”