When the Chicago Bears signed Bryce Callahan as an undrafted free agent, they probably didn’t think they were getting much. They likely only saw him as a special teams guy, as well as a fourth or fifth string cornerback. That couldn’t have been further from the truth. Callahan has turned himself into a very good player. In fact, he’s one of the tops at his position of slot cornerback. Slot cornerbacks are starting to become more important than ever. Some of the best receivers in the game take a majority of their snaps out of the slot. Guys like Adam Thielen, Michael Thomas, and Juju Smith-Schuster dominate in the slot, and teams are going to need people that can slow down their production. Callahan has proven that he can shut down the slot. He should be high on the radar of teams who need secondary help.
2019 NFL Free Agent Profile: Bryce Callahan
It was another very good year for Callahan. In 13 games this season, he finished with 45 tackles, two sacks, and two interceptions. He was a key contributor to one of the best secondaries in football. Unfortunately for Callahan, he broke his foot in the Bears win vs. the Los Angeles Rams, which sidelined him for the rest of the season. His biggest moment of the season came against the Arizona Cardinals. With the Cardinals driving looking to try and steal a win, Callahan picked off rookie quarterback Josh Rosen to seal the win for the Bears.
Callahan is a player who should start getting more recognition around the league. PFF had Callahan graded at an 81.4 for the season, which put him seventh among his position. In addition, he’s top ten in various statistics including passer rating allowed (eighth), yards per coverage snap (second), and coverage snaps per reception (fifth). Another strength of Callahan’s game is his discipline. He committed zero penalties last year, and three penalties in 2017, which is something rare to see with the amount of pass interference and holding penalties that get called on defensive backs.
The knock on Bryce Callahan is his durability. He’s missed a good amount of time during his career due to injury. He missed time in 2016 due to a hamstring injury and also broke his foot this season which forced him to miss the rest of the season. Teams could be scared off by his injury history, but that shouldn’t be a major issue, as Callahan’s ability and potential outweighs the injury concern.
Possible Fits for Bryce Callahan
Chicago Bears
Chicago should look to re-sign Callahan. He will definitely be asking for more than the $1.3 million he made this season. The Bears were able to free up a little bit of money after letting go of Cody Parkey and Dion Sims, so money shouldn’t be an issue. Sherrick McManis filled in admirably during Callahan’s absence but striking out on Callahan would be a huge loss for the Bears emerging secondary.
Detroit Lions
One team that could show interest in Callahan is the Detroit Lions. The Lions are statistically the worst team in the league when it comes to defending slot receivers. Callahan would slide in next to Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay and would make a nice one-two punch in the secondary. The Lions defense struggled mightily as a whole last season. While they have many holes to fill, signing Callahan would be the first step in trying to fix Matt Patricia‘s defense.
San Fransisco 49ers
Another team that could show interest in Callahan is the San Fransisco 49ers. The 49ers have a very solid young defense. They are led by defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, who set a career high in sacks this season with 12. San Fransisco also has the second pick in the upcoming draft. They will likely take a defensive player in a draft class that is loaded with talent on that side of the ball. With secondary a clear weakness for the 49ers, it would be smart to offer Callahan a contract. Although he won’t be able to cover outside receivers, he will slow down the slot in a division that includes Doug Baldwin and Cooper Kupp.
Last Word on Bryce Callahan
Many teams will have Bryce Callahan on their radar. He’s blossoming into one of the best slot cornerbacks in the game. He will be able to immediately contribute to the team he ends up signing with. The question is how much are teams willing to pay? The Baltimore Ravens recently inked up Tavon Young to an extension that includes $25.8 million and could get up to $29 million. Will Callahan demand that kind of money, or even more? It will be interesting to see what happens as we inch closer to the start of free agency.
