NFL free agency will be here before we know it, and the Chicago Bears have plenty of players set to hit the market. From key starters to valuable reserves, general manager Ryan Poles will have important decisions to make about who to bring back.
Here at Bears Wire, we’re going through each individual player and breaking down their 2022 performance and whether or not they fit in the Bears’ long-term plans.
Safety and special teams ace DeAndre Houston-Carson has been one of the players able to hang on with the Bears for the long term, spending seven seasons in the navy and orange. Will he be able to make it eight?
2022 stats
- 45 tackles (2 for a loss)
- 1 interception
- 1 pass defensed
- 1 forced fumble
2022 review
Houston-Carson has established a pretty solid routine over his last few years in Chicago. First, he re-signs with the Bears in free agency on a one-year deal and continues his role as a leader on special teams. Next, he finds himself playing more important minutes on defense due to injuries, and then winds up creating a few turnovers in key moments. That’s exactly what happened with Houston-Carson in 2020, 2021, and now 2022.
Last year, Houston-Carson played primarily on special teams as usual until injuries to Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson forced him to become a starting safety halfway through the year. He had his best year as a cover safety, allowing just nine completions on 20 passes, with quarterbacks having a rating of 51.1 when targeting him. His lone interception came off Jalen Hurts, who had rarely turned the ball over all season long. Houston-Carson showed once again he can be a valuable special teams contributor and step in on defense in a moments notice when needed.
Positional need: Low
The Bears have done a great job fortifying the safety position since last offseason. They invested high draft capital in Jaquan Brisker, selecting him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Brisker’s presence also helped Eddie Jackson return to his old self by becoming a game-changing ballhawk prior to his injury. Assuming the Bears keep him and his $17 million cap hit, the safety position won’t be one to worry about.
Chicago can always use depth and Houston-Carson provides the perfect option. They also have second-year safety Elijah Hicks, who will be battling for a roster spot this summer. But out of all of the positions to worry about, safety doesn’t appear to be one of them.
The future
Though he is entering free agency yet again, it would be a surprise to see Houston-Carson not return to the Bears for an eighth season. He’s a dependable leader on special teams and one of the better depth players at safety. He’s received a raise in each of the last four seasons, making $1.77 million in 2022, and deserves another one in 2023.
He’s outlasted three head coaches and reunited with special teams coordinator Richard Hightower in 2022, who was the team’s assistant special teams coach in 2016 when he was drafted. The Bears can easily afford Houston-Carson and though he’ll be 30 this spring, he’s shown no signs of slowing down.
2023 free agency profiles
We’re highlighting the Bears’ most notable free agents set to hit the open market in March:
| David Montgomery | Nicholas Morrow | N’Keal Harry |
| DeAndre Houston-Carson | Riley Reiff (2/25) | Byron Pringle (2/26) |
| Sam Mustipher (2/27) | Patrick Scales (2/28) | Khari Blasingame (3/1) |
| Angelo Blackson (3/2) | Matt Adams (3/3) | Michael Schofield (3/4) |
| Mike Pennel (3/5) | Joe Thomas (3/6) | Armon Watts (3/7) |
| Dane Cruikshank (3/8) | Ryan Griffin (3/9) | Josh Blackwell (3/10) |
| Dante Pettis (3/11) |
