Miles
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- Mar 18, 2019
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Head Coach Vic Fangio guided Bryce Callahan for four seasons with the Bears as their defensive coordinator. He saw him grow from a practice-squad member early in his 2015 rookie season to one of the league's best slot cornerbacks by his fourth year.
Callahan's improvement was profound, and the best could be yet to come.
"There are a lot of little things that he's mastered," Fangio told Pro Football Weekly last November. "And he can go to the next level as far as reading and dissecting routes and knowing how to play them, maybe playing them a half-second quicker than he did two years ago.
"Those things start to add up."
That "next level" could offer the Broncos increased flexibility with their defensive backs. With Kareem Jackson capable of playing cornerback and safety, Callahan's continued improvement could give the Broncos opportunities to take advantage of Jackson's diverse skill set, while ensuring they're still covered at cornerback.
The versatility of Jackson and the presence of Chris Harris Jr. also provide the Broncos a chance to use Callahan in the pass rush. Last season, he averaged 1.8 pass-rush snaps per game, according to Pro Football Focus. Callahan generated pressure on 13 of those chances, leading all cornerbacks, according to PFF's calculations.