Denver Broncos Brick, Mortar and Scrap: Defensive Back overview
By Aric Manthey
MORTAR
Duke Dawson
While all players in the ‘mortar’ category have different qualities that they add to the secondary, I think that they all can provide something valuable to the Broncos in 2020. Let’s start with Duke Dawson.
Dawson arrived in Denver via a late camp trade with the New England Patriots. Dawson was thought highly of by the Broncos staff, mainly for his versatility in the secondary. He ended up playing in 14 games (3 starts) and recording 19 tackles.
With his ability to play nearly every position in the secondary and inexpensive rookie contract, I think that Dawson is likely to stick around in 2020.
De’Vante Bausby
The next guy on this list is De’Vante Bausby. A former Bear/Eagle, Bausby played sparingly throughout the first couple years of his career. Before signing with the Broncos, he was actually a member of the now defunct AAF.
It was Bausby’s ties to Fangio back in their Chicago days that brought him to Denver and a devastating injury derailed his season, but he showed that he has the upside to be a potential starting CB.
With reports saying that he’s recovered from his injury, Bausby should be primed to return in 2020.
Will Parks
If there was a player the embodied raw energy and playing with emotion (in the right way), it would be Will Parks. Since coming to Denver in 2016, Parks has played a valuable role in the defensive backfield.
In his four years as a Bronco, Parks has tallied 149 tackles, four picks, one sack, and two forced fumbles. For a guy who came to Denver as a 6th-round pick, Parks has vastly outplayed his draft status and proved to be an aggressive defender capable of making big plays.
While he never developed into a full time starter (15 starts in his career), Parks became a consistent playmaker in the rotation. Unfortunately, it may be hard for the Broncos to keep him in Denver.
As an Unrestricted Free agent, Parks is supposedly expected to have a strong market for his services. Despite that, I’m going to be optimistic and say that the Broncos find a way to keep him for another year (or more).
Bryce Callahan
Finally, there’s Bryce Callahan. Due to a set back in his foot injury sustained in 2018, we didn’t get a chance to see Callahan play in 2019. He’s going into the second year of a 3 year, 21 million dollar deal and with his history playing under Fangio, I think it’s safe to assume that he’ll get another year to prove he’s worth keeping as a starting defender.