Three years ago, DeAndre Carter’s income came from his side hustle as a substitute teacher in Hayward, Calif. Just as the former Sacramento State product juggled teaching with keeping his NFL career alive, on the gridiron, Carter routinely demonstrates versatility balancing his role as a returner and receiver.
After starting wide receiver Will Fuller went down with a groin injury in the first half of the Texans’ 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carter filled in. He played all over the field, taking snaps as a returner, slot receiver and out wide.
In the fourth quarter, Carter caught arguably the biggest play of the game for Houston, a 39-yard reception. It set up a go-ahead, and eventually game-winning, 37-yard field goal.
“That was a big play, that was a huge play,” coach Bill O’Brien said postgame.
Carter’s spot on the Texans is in large part due to that versatility.
“He can sub into any position and know what to do,” O’Brien said. “That is really a vital guy on your team – a guy that is a punt returner but has the knowledge of all the receiving positions and will know what to do. He is a plug-and-play guy. He has done that the last two years for us. He has made some big plays for us in times when we needed a play, so that is who DeAndre Carter is.”
Carter is all too aware of that. The 5-8, 190-pound 26-year-old may not have the gaudiest career receiving totals (27 catches for 313 yards), but he’s stuck around in Houston because of that plug-and-play ability.
“That’s my job, that’s my role,” Carter told reporters. “Being able to come in and play any position, any spot at receiver, kick-returner, punt returner, that’s my job, that’s my role. I take great pride in it. When the team needs me to come in and make a play, I pride myself on being able to do that.”
Carter be called upon more as the Texans host the Tennessee Titans in a relatively meaningless rematch in Week 17. The coaching staff may not want to risk Fuller to further injury, and it could mean more versatile action for Carter.