3 impending free agents Washington must re-sign in offseason

2. DeAndre Carter

Washington really excels at finding diamonds in the rough, and the last two players on this list fill that bill to the nth degree. First up, is DeAndre Carter, who might already have the “best offseason addition” award locked up.

That’s crazy to think, let alone put into words, given guys like Curtis Samuel, William Jackson and Sam Cosmi were brought in, but it’s the reality of things.

Carter’s value on special teams will get overshadowed by his surprising contributions as a receiver, but we’re not about to let that happen. After all, he’s the top Pro Bowl vote-getter amongst NFC return specialists.

Entering Week 13, Carter had the most kickoff return yards (681) in the NFL. The next closest is lagging nearly 70 yards behind. He’s also first in return average (25.22) amongst players who’ve fielded at least 20 kicks.

Again, don’t let Carter’s emergence as a receiver distract you from the fact he’s still as explosive as any return man in the league.

OK, now we can move to his newfound role.

Carter was quiet over the first month of the season, but he broke out in the Week 5 win over the Saints with four catches for 62 yards on eight targets. After playing just 12 offensive snaps the following week, the former undrafted talent ripped off three straight games with a receiving touchdown.

He was largely a non-factor vs Seattle, but he came up with a HUGE reception on 4th and 4 with less than four minutes left in regulation and Washington, which couldn’t kick a field goal due to Slye’s injury, up 17-8.

That play was just a microcosm of Carter’s season and he deserves to be a part of the future in Landover as much as anybody.