Ex-Bears CB Bryce Callahan, Vic Fangio to reunite with Broncos
Mar 15, 2019, 9:14 PM | Updated: Mar 17, 2019, 3:44 am
A reunion is afoot at Dove Valley, as former Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan will once again team up with his former defensive coordinator, and current Denver Broncos head coach, Vic Fangio.
Callahan and the Broncos agreed to terms on a three-year deal late Friday worth a reported $21 million, $10 million of which is fully guaranteed.
Entering his fifth season, Callahan has played Fangio each of the first four years of his NFL career. The cornerback also played three seasons under new Broncos defensive coordinator Ed Donatell, who was then the Bears secondary coach.
During his breakout season in 2018, Callahan played in 13 games for Chicago (10 starts), grabbing a career-high 45 tackles to go with two sacks, two interceptions, and six passes defensed.
Over 45 games in his career (29 starts), Callahan has racked up 122 tackles, four sacks, four interceptions, 20 passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Callahan as the seventh-best cornerback in the NFL, just a handful of slots behind Broncos star Chris Harris Jr. at No. 3. He allowed just one touchdown during the year and played the second-most snaps per game (31.7) in slot coverage.
In January, “Stokley and Zach” co-hosts Brandon Stokley and Zach Bye highlighted Callahan as one of the free agents the Broncos should target this offseason.
“You’re in need of cornerbacks. It’s a passing league. You can never have too many good ones. And, he knows Vic Fangio,” Stokley said.
Aside from his on-field productivity, though, Stokley said Callahan could help Fangio and Donatell in translating their defensive schemes to the rest of the unit.
“A guy like Bryce Callahan, who’s a really good player by the way and will help this transition and help everybody else on the defensive side of the football know how Vic Fangio wants things run, those are the guys that you make a priority,” Stokley said.
And just last month, “Schlereth and Evans” co-host Mark Schlereth called Callahan a “great one” in terms of slot corners in the NFL.
“Every time I called the Chicago game over the past two years, the guy just is out there making plays,” Schlereth said.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @JohnnyHart7.
