As we count down the days until training camp starts we are also counting down the Chicago Bears roster from 90 all the way to number one. This is looking at which players will have the biggest potential impact on the wins and losses of the team.
We have worked our way into the top 30 and are now at number 28 overall.
Chicago Bears 2022 roster ranking: No. 28 DeAndre Houston-Carson
2018 Ranking: No. 55
Going back and seeing past rankings of DeAndre Houston-Carson over the years makes you appreciate how far he has been able to work to stay in the NFL. He was a sixth-round pick in 2016 and has stuck with the Chicago Bears since.
As shown above, in most of his career he has been an end-of-the-roster special teams asset. He is inside the top 53, but not much higher.
That is because he was always behind not only two starters, but also Deon Bush. However. last season Deon Bush and Tashaun Gipson missed time, and Houston-Carson was called upon for the most snaps of his career.
DHC flourished, and the defense was better with him than when they had the other two starting. Considering how Jackson played last year, some would say he was the best safety on the roster.
It is good to see that Ryan Poles signed him this offseason because it showed he was paying attention. It would be easy to gut the roster, and he mostly did that, but he also saw a shimmer from DHC, and did not let him get away.
Still, Poles also added Dane Cruikshank, and Jaquan Brisker, so he is probably in the same role. At the same time, he is at least in competition with Cruikshank for the dime role, and Brisker is a rookie so nothing is a lock.
Lastly, Eddie Jackson has proven he is not locked into anything and he is not with the GM or coach that extended him. DHC could jump in for Jackson if Jackson continues to struggle. Keep an eye on DHC in camp because he could finish the season anywhere from a special teams player to the best safety on the team and someone who we are talking extension about.