Cleveland Browns Free Agent Review: Will DeAndre Carter be back to return kicks?

The Browns are set to have one undrafted free agent wide receiver to make a decision on this offseason with veteran DeAndre Carter.

How and When They Joined the Browns

After entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015, Carter had bounced around to nine different teams before joining the Browns in 2025.

Productivity Level Last Season

For all the years that Carter was in the league, he really only had wide receiver production once, in 2022, when he had 46 catches for 538 yards and 3 touchdowns with the Chargers. Therefore, it was assumed that Cleveland was eyeing him with the same intent that most other teams had: as a kick or punt returner.

Carter made the team as a returner, and in the first 4 games, he returned 11 kickoffs for 274 yards (24.9 average) and 6 punts for 56 yards (9.3 average). Unfortunately, Carter suffered a knee injury during the Week 4 game against the Detroit Lions, ending his season. Gage Larvadain took over return duties for the remainder of the season.

What the Browns Should Do

You can’t fault Andrew Berry for trying to sign kick/punt return sensations year after year, but somehow these guys all can’t escape the injury bug. JoJo Natson, Jakeem Grant, and Carter all suffered big-time injuries, and in between there was Nyheim Hines, who never even got activated. Maybe it’s time for Berry to stick with the undrafted free agent or in-house route, whether that be remaining with Larvadain or someone from this year’s draft class. I’d be very surprised to see Carter get re-signed.

Let us know in the comments below whether you think the Browns should re-sign DeAndre Carter.