By Jordan Long
The Denver Broncos are looking for their 1st win of the year. They hope it comes on Sunday when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are going to be without cornerback Bryce Callahan who hasn’t seen the field this year. He is going to have a non-surgical procedure on his left foot. It will keep him out at least another 4 weeks.
The Broncos signed Callahan to a 3-year, $21 million deal in the offseason. He was familiar with Head Coach Vic Fangio’s defense since he played under him when Fangio was the defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Callahan proved in Chicago he could play coverage and knock passes away from defenders. He also could pick the ball off. With the Bears he totaled 20 passes defended and 4 interceptions.
The hope when the Broncos agreed to a contract with Callahan was that he was going to play the opposite side of Chris Harris. Harris wasn’t going to be the only Broncos’ cornerback to tip passes away or intercept the ball. That hasn’t happened yet since Callahan is dealing with the injury.
According to 9news.com, Head Coach Fanigo said, “He’s still having complications from the injury he had last year and the surgery he had after the injury.”
The Broncos are missing him on defense. Isaac Yiadom took his place in the lineup. He has struggled to play in coverage and gives up large chunks of yards to receivers. Yiadom has yet to have a pass defended or an interception.
Denver’s defense as a whole isn’t struggling too much. They give up 314 yards per game ranking 9th in the league. Their pass defense is 6th in the NFL allowing 204.7 yards per game.
The one area Callahan could help improve the Broncos is turnovers. Denver has yet to have an interception. They expect that to change during the course of the year. When Callahan is healthy, he will help improve this defense. For now, they must play on without him.
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