'I want to put that in the past': A healthy Bryce Callahan details challenges of injury, goals for 2020 season

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The sixth-year player is at that point now as he prepares for a long-awaited debut in Denver. And aside from a brief illness — Head Coach Vic Fangio said it wasn't COVID-19 — that caused him to lose weight that he'll need to re-add in the coming weeks, the veteran cornerback said he's "feeling great."


"Like I told my coaches, my foot's feeling 100 percent," Callahan said. "I want to put that in the past. I've just got to gain a little bit of weight, and I'll be good to go — 100 percent — when we put on pads."


Callahan has already returned to the field for conditioning drills and walkthrough sessions, and Fangio said he'll work at both the outside cornerback and nickel cornerback positions ahead of the season. Callahan was borderline dominant in the slot while in Chicago, and he allowed just 0.69 yards per cover snap in the slot in 2018, which ranked second in the NFL. Teams generally avoided throwing at the quick, aggressive player, but he managed to record two interceptions and six passes defensed in his last season in Chicago.


"I feel pretty comfortable in both spots," Callahan said. "I'll do my best in both spots and let the coaches decide, but it's not like I'm nervous to play on the outside. I have played a couple games on the outside, and I felt comfortable in those games. I was able to make a couple plays. We'll see whatever's best for the team."


Callahan won't be the only new face in the Broncos' cornerback room. A.J. Bouye joined the team via a trade with Jacksonville, and third-round pick Michael Ojemudia could potentially push for playing time early in the season.


"I'm excited for the secondary," Callahan said. "We've got a lot of smart guys, good teammates. Not a lot of egos. We can all work together and communicate, and that's what we need with the defense. The better we can communicate and pass things off, the easier it will be for all of our jobs."


If Callahan can achieve his primary goal — to stay healthy and ball out — the Broncos' could improve upon their 11th-ranked passing defense from last season. And, in the process, he would prove that 2019 was merely a blip in an otherwise successful career.


"I'm very excited just to get out there and play again," Callahan said. "It's been a year and a quarter since I've been out there, so just [can't wait] to get out there and prove to other people and to myself that I can still do the things that I was doing and even better."