Is this Chicago Bears defender earning an extension?
The Chicago Bears season has not gone how fans wanted on the whole, but there are still a few players who have stepped up to the plate. To the surprise of many, one of the biggest impact players for the Chicago Bears defense has been DeAndre Houston-Carson.
We wrote about it earlier this year, but DHC has been a revelation with versatility, awareness, athleticism, and motor.
What had made this season so impressive is that no matter what has been asked of him, he has delivered. Early in the season, he subbed in for Deon Bush as a dime player. The Bears decided to increase their dime usage because of the play that Houston-Carson brought.
So, when Tashaun Gipson went down, DHC stepped in and performed well in the box. Then, Eddie Jackson went down, and guess who was called upon?
The Chicago Bears’ defense lost to Tyler Huntley, but they played well beyond one missed read by Kindle Vildor. Beyond that, Vildor was credited with 118 yards allowed, while no other Bears defender gave up over 35.
Houston-Carson wound up allowing three catches for six yards on Sunday against the Ravens. He spent plenty of time on Mark Andrews as well, and in the play below you can see he broke up a pass to Andrews near the goal line.
DHC waits at the end zone, then sees his man and strikes downhill. He meets his man a few yards short but breaks the pass away regardless.
Beyond that, he had pressure, a run stop, and PFF graded him the second-best defender behind Robert Quinn.
It seems wild considering he has been in the NFL so long and has not started, but DHC has been one of the five best defenders on the team this entire season. He should keep starting down the stretch of this season. If he does, the Bears should consider an extension.
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DHC has been getting one-year deals at special teams’ value for years. This year, someone is going to pay him and give him a chance to start. It would hurt to see a team keep DHC on the roster for six years, see him have one good year, and then blossom as a starter for someone else. The Chicago Bears should consider extending DHC before they lose him this offseason.