Surprising former Commander named one of NFL’s best red zone WRs in 2021

It’s fair to say Washington Commanders fans didn’t want to see DeAndre Carter leave in free agency. As the team’s best return specialist in years and an underrated weapon in the passing game, it was tough hearing the news that Carter join forces with the Chargers after he emerged as a fan favorite in DC.

With that said, Carter wasn’t irreplaceable. As important as he was to the Commanders last campaign, teams find return specialists and depth wide receivers late in the draft, in the undrafted free agent market or even late in free agency.

It seems as though Washington found Carter’s replacement in Alex Erickson, who’s returned 268 kicks and punts in his career. While the Commanders have depth a receiver they haven’t boasted in years, Erickson becoming a security blanket for Carson Wentz will truly determine if he’s a proper substitute for Carter.

Just how valuable was Carter to Washington’s passing attack? Enough to finish as one of Pro Football Focus’ best red zone wideouts in 2021.

Former Commanders KR/WR DeAndre Carter was one of the NFL’s best red zone receivers last season.

Believe it or not, Commanders fans, but Carter finished as PFF’s No. 10 ranked red zone wideout last season. It’s worth noting however, that the 29-year-old didn’t generate nearly as much volume as some of the other WRs on the list (DK Metcalf, DeAndre Hopkins, Cooper Kupp, Justin Jefferson, etc.).

In fact, he only managed four red-zone targets the entire season, which was the fewest of the 24 other receivers on the list, but all three of his catches went for touchdowns and his 14.7 yards per catch led all other qualified wideouts, per PFF.

For comparison’s sake, Kupp led the group of receivers in red-zone targets (38), receptions (27), yards (209) and touchdowns (13). Additionally, the Rams superstar’s 27 catches were more than 23 of the 25 WRs target shares.

So yes, Carter definitely snuck onto this list, but that doesn’t take anything away from the accomplishment.

Entering last season, the former UDFA totaled 34 catches for 386 yards without a touchdown in three years. In 2021, he managed 24 catches for 296 yards and three scores, which trailed only Terry McLaurin for the team lead. Of his 24 catches, 17 (or 70.8%), went for first downs, so his impact, though limited, was undeniable.

Some might scoff at the idea of Carter being one of the league’s best red-zone wideouts, but you can’t hold it against him for coming through in those spots. At the end of the day, he finished with more catches and yards than Curtis Samuel, Dyami Brown, Cam Sims and Dax Milne. Who saw that coming?