Bryce Callahan

Bryce Callahan

Callahan with the Denver Broncos in 2021
Personal information
Born:	(1991-10-23) October 23, 1991 (age 32) Moscow, Idaho, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Weight:	183 lb (83 kg)
Career information
High school:	Cypress Woods (Cypress, Texas)
College:	Rice (2010–2014)
Position:	Cornerback
Undrafted:	2015
Career history
Chicago Bears (2015–2018) Denver Broncos (2019–2021) Los Angeles Chargers (2022)
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 241 Sacks: 5.0 Forced fumbles: 1 Fumble recoveries: 1 Interceptions: 9 Pass deflections: 35
Player stats at PFR

Bryce Jordan Callahan (born October 23, 1991) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football at Rice, and signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015.

Early years

Callahan attended Cypress Woods High School where he played football. Callahan was named to the 5A All State First-team and Dave Campbell's Texas Football's 2009 All-Texas High School team.

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	Arm length	Hand span	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
5 ft 9+1⁄8 in (1.76 m)	183 lb (83 kg)	30+5⁄8 in (0.78 m)	9+1⁄4 in (0.23 m)	4.47 s	1.50 s	2.58 s	4.27 s	7.00 s	43.0 in (1.09 m)	11 ft 0 in (3.35 m)	15 reps
All values from Pro Day [1]

Chicago Bears

2015

On May 2, 2015, Callahan signed with the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the 2015 NFL draft. ^[2] He made his NFL debut on September 13 against the Green Bay Packers. ^[3] On September 22, the Bears waived Callahan. ^[4] On September 24, the Bears re-signed Callahan for the practice squad. ^[5] On October 20, he was promoted to the active roster. ^[6] On November 9, Callahan recorded his first career pass deflection against the San Diego Chargers. On January 3, 2016, Callahan recorded his first career sack against the Detroit Lions. ^[7] He finished his rookie season with three starts in nine games, notching 21 tackles, four pass breakups, and a sack. He also fielded a punt return for 34 yards. ^[8]

2016

Callahan returned for his second season and was named the starting slot cornerback to begin the season. On September 19, 2016, in Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football , Callahan made a diving play to deflect a touchdown pass from quarterback Carson Wentz to tight end Brent Celek. ^[9] On October 9, he made a career-high six tackles but left early due to a hamstring injury against the Indianapolis Colts. ^[10] On December 11, Callahan broke up a career high two passes against the Lions. ^[11] He finished his second season with ten starts in eleven games, recording 32 tackles and five pass breakups. He returned two kicks and one punt, gaining a combined 20 yards.

2017

On March 6, 2017, Callahan re-signed with the Bears and was named the starting slot cornerback to begin the season. ^[12] On September 24, he grabbed his second career sack and his first career forced fumble, bringing down Pittsburgh Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger and knocking the football free. ^[13] On October 15, Callahan grabbed his first career interception, picking off Baltimore Ravens' Joe Flacco and returning it 52 yards. ^[14] He grabbed his second interception off DeShone Kizer of the Cleveland Browns on December 24. ^[15] On December 31, Callahan returned a punt on a trick play 59 yards for a touchdown in the season finale against the Minnesota Vikings. ^[16] His third season ended with six starts in twelve games, recording 25 tackles, six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack.

2018

On March 12, 2018, the Bears placed a tender on Callahan with the right of first refusal. ^[17] On April 17, he signed a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. ^[18] Callahan was named the third cornerback and the starting slot cornerback on the Bears’ depth chart, behind Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara.

On September 23, Callahan intercepted quarterback Josh Rosen to seal a 16–14 victory against the Arizona Cardinals. ^[19] On October 28, Callahan made 4 tackles, deflected 3 passes and sacked quarterback Sam Darnold in a 24–10 victory against the New York Jets. ^[20] In Week 10 against the Detroit Lions, Callahan made 5 tackles, sacked, and intercepted quarterback Matthew Stafford in the 34–22 win. He suffered a broken foot in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2018. ^[21] Callahan finished the season with 45 tackles, 6 passes defended, and 2 interceptions. He received an overall grade of 81.4 from Pro Football Focus in 2018, which ranked as the 7th highest grade among all qualifying cornerbacks and 3rd among all slot cornerbacks. ^[22]

Denver Broncos

2019

On March 15, 2019, Callahan signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the Denver Broncos, reuniting him with former Bears defensive coordinator and Broncos head coach Vic Fangio. He began training camp as the Denver Broncos’ starting right cornerback in their base packages opposite starting left cornerback Chris Harris Jr. The Broncos also named Callahan the starting slot cornerback in sub-packages. ^[23] However, he was still recovering from a foot injury sustained at the end of the previous season. At the end of the 2018 season, Callahan underwent surgery to repair his broken foot. However, his foot never fully healed and suffered complications from the screw placed in his foot. He was placed on injured reserve on November 15, 2019, without playing a snap in 2019. ^[24]

2020

Callahan entered training camp as a starting cornerback opposite A. J. Bouye and rookie Michael Ojemudia. He finally made his debut with the Broncos as the starting slot cornerback in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the Tennessee Titans on Monday Night Football. During the game, Callahan recorded 8 tackles in the 16–14 loss. ^[25] In Week 6 against the New England Patriots, Callahan recorded his first interception as a Bronco off a pass thrown by Cam Newton during the 18–12 win. ^[26] In Week 8 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Callahan intercepted a pass thrown by Justin Herbert during the 31–30 win. ^[27] He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2020. ^[28]

2021

Entering the 2021 season, Callahan was slated to retain his starting slot cornerback role as the Broncos signed Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby in free agency and drafted Patrick Surtain II in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft. At the conclusion of the NFL preseason, head coach Vic Fangio officially retained Callahan as the starting slot cornerback.

On November 3, 2021, Callahan was placed on injured reserve after suffering a knee injury in Week 8. ^[29] He was activated on December 11. ^[30]

Callahan finished the 2021 NFL season appearing in 11 games (6 starts) and collected 29 tackles (25 solo) along with 4 passes defensed, 1 sack, and no interceptions.

Los Angeles Chargers

On May 4, 2022, Callahan signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. ^[31] He played in 15 games with 11 starts, recording a career-high 47 tackles, six passes defensed, and three interceptions.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold	Career high

Regular season

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2015	CHI	9	3	21	20	1	1.0	4	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
2016	CHI	11	10	32	31	1	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0	0	0	0
2017	CHI	12	6	25	20	5	1.0	1	2	73	0	52	6	1	0	0	0
2018	CHI	13	10	45	39	6	2.0	6	2	12	0	12	6	0	0	0	0
2020	DEN	10	10	42	36	6	0.0	1	2	0	0	0	5	0	1	0	0
2021	DEN	11	6	29	25	4	1.0	3	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	0
2022	LAC	15	11	47	34	13	0.0	2	3	37	1	26	6	0	0	0	0
		81	56	241	205	36	5.0	17	9	122	1	52	35	1	1	0	0

Playoffs

Year	Team	Games		Tackles					Interceptions					Fumbles
		GP	GS	Cmb	Solo	Ast	Sck	TFL	Int	Yds	TD	Lng	PD	FF	FR	Yds	TD
2022	LAC	1	1	6	4	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0
		1	1	6	4	2	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0

References

1. "Bryce Callahan, Rice, CB, 2015 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
2. Flannery, Mike. "Chicago Bears Sign CB Bryce Callahan". beargoggleson.com. Retrieved May 2, 2015.
3. Woodrum, Woody (September 17, 2015). "Opening Day NFL Rosters have 79 C-USA, including 7 MU players". herdinsider.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
4. Mayer, Larry (September 22, 2015). "Bears promote Fales to active roster". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
5. Mayer, Larry (September 24, 2015). "Gase: Long 'making strides every week'". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
6. Mayer, Larry (October 20, 2015). "Focus on self-scouting, rest during bye". Chicago Bears. Archived from the original on February 6, 2018. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
7. "Lions vs. Bears - Box Score - January 3, 2016 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 20, 2016.
8. Householder, Sam (December 7, 2015). "Bears can't close: Five takeaways from 49ers game". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
9. Wiederer, Dan (September 21, 2016). "Mounting troubles obvious after Bears start 0-2". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved July 20, 2017.
10. Eurich, Matt (October 9, 2016). "Chicago Bears cornerback Bryce Callahan questionable to return". 247 Sports. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
11. Mayer, Larry (December 11, 2016). "Bears fall short to Lions 20-17". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
12. Alper, Josh (March 6, 2017). "Bears re-sign Daniel Brown, tender Josh Bellamy and Bryce Callahan". ProFootballTalk.NBCSports.com.
13. Mayer, Larry (September 24, 2017). "2-Minute Drill: Defense shines in OT win over Steelers". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
14. Kaberon, Eli (October 15, 2017). "Inside Slant: Opportunistic defense fuels Bears in OT win". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
15. Mayer, Larry (December 24, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears batter Browns 20-3". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
16. Mayer, Larry (December 31, 2017). "Game Recap: Bears lose season finale to Vikings 23-10". Chicago Bears. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
17. Wiltfong Jr, Lester (March 12, 2018). "The Bears will tender restricted free agent Bryce Callahan". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
18. Zeglinski, Robert (April 17, 2018). "Bears re-sign Bryce Callahan to one-year deal". Windy City Gridiron. Retrieved April 20, 2018.
19. Kane, Colleen (September 23, 2018). "Unsung cornerbacks Sherrick McManis and Bryce Callahan make their marks against the Cardinals". Chicagotribune.com.
20. Mayer, Larry (October 28, 2018). "Bears turn on Jets to snap skid". ChicagoBears.com.
21. Mayer, Larry (December 12, 2018). "Roster Moves: Callahan to miss remainder of season". ChicagoBears.com.
22. "Pro Football Focus: Bryce Callahan". profootballfocus.com. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
23. DiLalla, Aric (March 15, 2019). "Broncos agree to terms with CB Bryce Callahan". DenverBroncos.com.
24. "Tim Patrick to be activated off IR while Bryce Callahan will be placed on the IR". Mile High Report. SB Nation. November 16, 2019.
25. "Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos - September 14th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 18, 2020.
26. "Denver Broncos at New England Patriots - October 18th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
27. "Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos - November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
28. DiLalla, Aric (December 2, 2020). "Broncos claim S Will Parks off waivers, place CB Bryce Callahan on IR, activate DE Shelby Harris from Reserve/COVID-19 list". DenverBroncos.com.
29. DiLalla, Aric (November 3, 2021). "Broncos place CB Bryce Callahan on IR, designate three cornerbacks for return". DenverBroncos.com.
30. Swanson, Ben (December 11, 2021). "Broncos activate Bryce Callahan, Michael Ojemudia, Micah Kiser from IR; place Malik Reed on Reserve/COVID-19 list". DenverBroncos.com.
31. "Los Angeles Chargers Sign Cornerback Bryce Callahan". Chargers.com. May 4, 2022. Archived from the original on May 23, 2022. Retrieved May 8, 2022.

External links

• Rice Owls bio
• Media related to Bryce Callahan at Wikimedia Commons