The Denver Broncos have questions regarding the roster and the in-house free agents one being stud CB Bryce Callahan who is set to hit the open market.
Throughout his short time with the Denver Broncos, Bryce Callahan has been injury-riddled, but he’s shown to be a vital player in the Broncos secondary.
Questions certainly arise regarding his overall place with this team when Vic Fangio was let go by the team. When Fangio joined the Broncos as head coach people linked many free agents to the Mile High City. Callahan was one of them.
In this piece, we will discuss multiple different reasons why Callahan is a vital re-sign candidate for the Denver Broncos. Off-season always brings excitement and anticipation for what direction the franchise is going to go. It is one of the reasons why an off-season brings an array of emotions.
There’s free agency and NFL Draft where teams bolster rosters reinvigorating an entire fan base.
Before joining the Broncos, Callahan proved to be an important cornerback for the Chicago Bears. He became one of the more notable players to play nickel bringing attention to Broncos fans maybe he can be a version of Chris Harris Jr. when he was in orange and blue.
Harris Jr. spent a majority of his career proving doubters wrong to be one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. The comparisons made plenty of sense with how successful both were as nickel corners.
With Callahan set to hit NFL Free Agency, here are four reasons to re-sign him.
Cornerback room injury history for the Denver Broncos
Injuries are unpredictable. No person ever can predict something like it to happen regularly or at the right moment. What happened to the Denver Broncos under Vic Fangio is unprecedented with the cornerback position group. There were ridiculous amounts of injuries for two straight seasons. Three straight if you include what happened to the linebacker position. That is a topic for another time.
Cornerbacks are always a needed commodity in the National Football League. Teams can never have too many corners. In a division that is loaded on offense with Patrick Mahomes, Justin Herbert, and Derek Carr, defensive backs are at an all-time high in terms of need.
This is why franchises turn attention to bringing numerous assets to play that position because they know depth can be tested at any moment. For the Broncos they had their backs up against a wall with how many they activated on Sundays to play.
Despite still having a thin room, head coach Vic Fangio did have the teams ready to play for their opponents in games they desperately needed. However, that was only going to carry them so far. Callahan has his injury history, but he is still a valuable piece to include in a secondary which needs all the bodies it can get.
In 2020, Callahan was the only star cornerback who played a high level possible garnering All-Pro recognition. Callahan then became injured at the tail end of the season.
No change in defensive philosophy for the Denver Broncos
The expectation is that the defensive philosophy will not change under Nathaniel Hackett. Hackett is expected to hire Ejiro Evero as his defensive coordinator. Evero is the defensive backs coach with the Los Angeles Rams and one who has loads of NFL experience with multiple different coaches.
One of those coaches is former head coach Vic Fangio. This, of course, opens a door for Bryce Callahan to return to the Denver Broncos again.
Evero, like Fangio, will likely run a 3-4 defense, some man-to-man, and the majority of zone defense. Callahan’s responsibility is mainly in the nickel spot. Yet, due to some of the injuries from the defensive back room, it moved Callahan to the outside boundary.
In training camp of 2019, Callahan did spend time in that spot before going down to injury shutting down his season. Along that training camp line of 2019, Callahan was having a stellar preseason before going down.
If (when) the Broncos do bring on defensive backs Ejiro Evero as defensive coordinator and keep Christian Parker as a defensive back coach, then Callahan will come in with an easy transition. Vic Fangio is also reportedly sitting out the entire 2022 season not taking a coaching opportunity. This means Callahan’s best possible option is returning to Denver on a short-term deal.
Bryce Callahan’s on-field performance
Bryce Callahan’s time with Denver Broncos was met with at least some criticism. From injury history to “he is not real.” The “he is not real” criticism came because of the injuries he dealt with over the last three years.
However, as a member of the cornerback room, he was one of the better players at the position and team. In 2020, Callahan played at an All-Pro level and was one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL. One of the most impressive aspects of Callahan’s 2020 performance is the play on that outside boundary.
A majority of his snaps were the outside corner. Callahan’s size is misleading. Despite being listed under six feet, he plays with elite toughness and fear of nothing. Before missing the rest of the season, Callahan almost eclipsed 700 snaps.
According to Pro Football Focus, he calculated an 86.7 grade which is close to elite territory. The grade is 86.7/100 an overall impressive performance for a great season. His 53.8% Receptions per target is really good in terms of the responsibility he was tasked with during 2020.
Pro Football Reference had Callahan’s completion percentage allowed on targets around 54.4% in 2020 and 56.8% in 2021.
It is understandable why the fans would want to move on from Bryce Callahan. Your best ability is availability. However, the performance on the football field is undeniable. When Callahan stepped foot on the field you knew his area was covered.
A healthy Denver Broncos secondary was always the best product. It’s important to keep that product on the team as much as possible.
Denver Broncos contract outlook for Bryce Callahan
As mentioned earlier, due to Bryce Callahan’s injury history, it still will be smart to approach any potential contract with caution.
This is ultimately why a short-term contract is the best possible solution for all parties. Club options are also always discussed with agents as possibilities. In terms of Callahan and the future with the team, the club option also gives both Callahan and the team flexibility.
With every single deal, it will always hinge on guaranteed money. Callahan will not ever get the top-end dollar for number one cornerback, but he will still get paid where he is at in his respected career. The Denver Broncos will be in a flexible situation cap room-wise to fit Callahan in their plans.
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The final determination of Callahan is what he wants to do in this cycle. We can pontificate all we want and speculate until the dogs come home. It boils down to what Callahan wants for himself, his future, and his family.