Washington Football Team: Story behind DeAndre Carter’s motivation is soul-stirring

We’ve discussed it at great length, but the Washington Football Team’s wide receiver position has been a wasteland outside of Terry McLaurin.

If you can believe it, Washington’s lackluster quarterback play has managed to limit McLaurin’s impact on games. While McLaurin has three 100-yard games under his belt this season, he also has three games in which he’s been held under 50 yards and two in which he’s been held under 30 yards.

Fans would be hard-pressed to name a receiver — JD McKissic is a running back, therefore he doesn’t count in this argument! — who’s emerged as the Robin to McLaurin’s Batman.

Curtis Samuel was supposed to be that guy, but a groin injury has limited him to just two games. Adam Humphries has just one game over 45 receiving yards and rookie Dyami Brown has become an afterthought.

The unit’s struggles have paved the way for DeAndre Carter, predominantly a return specialist throughout his career, to assume a greater role in the offense.

To his credit, Carter has answered the call, and he’s coming off a career performance in Week 8 vs Denver when he caught three passes for 51 yards and a TD.

The story behind DeAndre Carter’s motivation is everything.

Carter has established himself as a fan favorite in Ashburn, and it goes beyond that he’s probably Washington’s most gifted return man since Brian Mitchell. It’s the way he carries himself and plays the game.

Despite being 5-foot-8 and 188 pounds soaking wet, he hits holes on kick and punt returns like he’s the biggest player on the field. In the open field after catching passes, it typically takes multiple defenders to bring him down.

Why is this? Well, you might have noticed in the above tweet that Carter typed out the hashtag #KC5 with the praying hands emoji. Fans might not know this, but that’s the story behind Carter’s motivation and rigorous style of play.

"“You gotta find a ‘why,’ a reason why. I was in college, my little brother passed away. Kaylan Carter passed away from heart complications,” Carter said on “Hang Time,” an interview series with longtime Washington punter Tress Way.“And I made him a promise on his deathbed that I would make it in this league for both of us. It was both of our dreams and I kinda took it upon myself to do all the things that we wanted to do that he never got the opportunity to do. So, you know, it helps me. It gets me up every day.”"

Back in 2013, Kaylan Carter collapsed during a practice with his high school football team. He passed away just days later at the young age of 17 due to complications stemming from an enlarged heart.

In May of 2015, Carter fulfilled the promise he made to his brother when he was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent. The 28-year-old’s had trouble finding a stable home in the NFL, but that may no longer be an issue, as he’s emerged as a key cog in Washington’s special team unit and WR corps.

After Carter scored his first NFL touchdown — a 101 yard kickoff return to open the second half vs the Falcons in Week 4 — he gave a touching tribute to his brother. Try to watch this without being moved to tears.

So, so powerful. Carter is truly an amazing human.

Football is widely considered an entertainment product for fans. For Carter, it serves as a daily motivator to ensure the memory of Kaylan lives on. Just remember that the next time he makes a big play for Washington.