After briefly closing Halas Hall, Bears place punt returner DeAndre Carter on COVID-19 list

The Bears placed receiver and punt return specialist DeAndre Carter on the reserve/COVID-19 list Thursday afternoon.

The moves comes after the Bears closed their Halas Hall training facility in Lake Forest for a number of hours due to a positive coronavirus test among the team. Presumably, Carter has tested positive for the virus. The Bears didn't place any additional players on the reserve/COVID-19 list, indicating that no high-risk close contacts were identified.

Three additional Bears players went on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier this week, but head coach Matt Nagy said the team believes those instances were unrelated.

After closing the facility Thursday morning, the Bears did return for a 2:30 p.m. practice. All meetings were held virtually.

The Bears claimed Carter off waivers on Nov. 18 following a season-ending tricep injury to punt return specialist Dwayne Harris on Nov. 16 against Minnesota. Carter was the fourth punt return man the Bears have used this season. Tarik Cohen tore his ACL in Week 3, Ted Ginn Jr. was waived after a couple uninspiring weeks on the job, then Harris was injured in just his third game with the Bears, leading to Carter's signing.

Going on the reserve/COVID-19 list means a minimum stay of five days, so Carter will miss Sunday’s game against Houston at Soldier Field. The Bears currently list receivers Anthony Miller and Darnell Mooney as their backup punt returners. At this late stage of the week, it’s not likely they could bring in a free agent return specialist on such short notice due to the NFL’s coronavirus policies.