Safety DeAndre Houston-Carson will return to the Bears for a sixth season after signing a one-year contract Thursday.
Houston-Carson, 27, was selected by the Bears in the sixth round of the 2016 draft out of William & Mary. He has appeared in 64 games the past five seasons, all as a reserve, and played predominantly on special teams.
Houston-Carson has appeared in all 16 games each of the past two seasons. Last year he made the most of rare opportunities to contribute on defense, producing late impact plays to secure back-to-back wins.
First, Houston-Carson broke up Tom Brady's fourth-down pass with :33 remaining to clinch a 20-19 Thursday night victory over the Buccaneers at Soldier Field. Ten days later, the 6-foot, 202-pounder registered his first career interception when he picked off Teddy Bridgewater with 1:28 to play to seal a 23-16 win over the Panthers in Carolina.
In both instances, Houston-Carson was on the field as a sixth defensive back in place of the injured Deon Bush.
Last year Houston-Carson played a career-high 91 snaps on defense and finished third on the Bears with eight special-teams tackles.
