A lot of people gave the Chicago Bears grief before the start of free agency. Bryce Callahan was such an important part of the defense. They should pay him top nickel cornerback money to keep him in place before some other team did on the free agent market. They were running out of time. GM Ryan Pace held his ground, allowing the 27-year old to go free.
One day passed. Then two. Then three. Still, there were no updates on Callahan. This while other prominent nickel corners like Justin Coleman, Brian Poole, and Kareem Jackson have already found new teams. For a man who was supposedly one of the best in the NFL, the mad rush for Callahan’s never materialized.
Not until Friday the 15th of March did an update finally surface. The corner was meeting with the Denver Broncos. No surprise given Vic Fangio, the man who’d developed Callahan since he was a rookie free agent in 2015, was now their head coach. Not long after, NFL insider Benjamin Allbright reported expectations are a deal will get done.
Via text: the Broncos are expecting to sign former Bears CB Bryce Callahan.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) March 15, 2019
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The Bears knew exactly where league perception was on Bryce Callahan
This feels like a repeat of last season. A lot of people were upset when Pace and the Bears chose not to match a deal offered by the New Orleans Saints to wide receiver Cameron Meredith. They were letting a young, productive target go for nothing. Pace later stated that the medical concerns around Meredith were what drove the decision.
Fast forward a year and the receiver barely played in New Orleans and is expected to not return. Is it any surprise the Bears took the same course of action on Callahan? There’s no denying the cornerback is a good player. He can tackle and cover well. However, his body is unreliable, having never made it through a full season without missing games.
The 2018 run was no different. In the midst of his best all-around season yet, Callahan broke his foot and missed the final month. One can understand if the Bears ran out of patience with him. They decided to take their chances by moving on, signing veteran Buster Skrine to take over the slot position at a modest $5.5 million per year.
Callahan was a good player, but the Bears don’t believe he’s irreplaceable. It would seem most of the league agrees.
