Chicago Bears Rumors: Bryce Callahan could return home via trade
By Ryan Taylor
It’s no secret that the Chicago Bears need instant support when speaking about the cornerback room. After having been left dry in that area after cut day, Bryce Callahan’s trade rumors have piqued the Bears’ interest to get him to come back.
According to Brad Spielberger of PFF, he has heard from multiple sources that “Callahan is a potential player to monitor for a trade.” He then added, “Bears among interested teams,” in the next line of the tweet he sent out on Thursday.
Callahan signed with the Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2015 before being released and re-signed in the same season. In 2016, he skyrocketed the depth charts to become the starting slot corner for the Bears.
In four seasons with the Bears, Callahan played 45 games, starting in 29 of them. In those games, he recorded 123 tackles, 20 passes defended, and four interceptions as the starting slot corner.
Hearing from multiple sources that Broncos CB Bryce Callahan is a player to monitor for a potential trade, would be a VERY hot commodity if cut
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) September 2, 2021
Bears among interested teams
Jets GM Joe Douglas was Chicago's Director of College Scouting in 2015 when Callahan signed as an UDFA
Why is Callahan on the move in Denver?
In short, the Broncos screwed up, in my opinion.
John Elway made a fantasy team out of his cornerback room, which contains former all-pro Bear, Kyle Fuller, Ronald Darby, newly drafted Patrick Surtain, and Callahan.
The Broncos need to balance out their roster. They have struggles they need to confront in their defensive and offensive line, and not to mention their most glaring problem — quarterback.
That’s the reason, in short, why Callahan is being thrown around in trade offers. The only problem is Callahan’s contract set to earn him $6.5 million this next season, which could be rich for some team’s blood.
Considering Callahan is nearly on the wrong side of 30 years old and he has had his fair share of the injury bug, specifically in 2019, he might be looked at indifferently.
Should the Bears make a move for Callahan?
100%.
The Bears are in survival mode when talking about their cornerback depth. After losing Fuller and cutting Desmond Trufant and Thomas Graham, the Bears are left with few options.
Jaylon Johnson, Kindle Vildor, Duke Shelley, Artie Burns, Xavier Crawford, and Marqui Christian represent the rag-tag bunch of corners left on the roster.
Callahan and Johnson would make an excellent pair as the two starters, allowing flexibility in the slot for Vildor and Shelley to battle over, as they did most of last season.
The only issue the Bears face is cap space. According to Spotrac, the Bears are in the red for cap space but have about $1.2 million in space projected with the final roster.
That means the front office will have to do some work and bite the bullet in trading some pretty valuable assets to the Broncos.
My suggestion is to give up some of the defensive line, as that group provides the most depth. Akiem Hicks, Eddie Goldman, Mario Edwards, and Bilal Nichols can’t all play at the same time. Letting one of those names go with equitable returns could be a solid move.
The front office could get sneaky and dangle Andy Dalton in front of them as another option under center, but I’m not sure the Broncos would bite on that tactic.
Chicago Bears Roster: 3 trades with Broncos to bolster cornerback. dark. Next
The Bottom Line
The Bears should go after Callahan because the secondary is unsettling and will most likely become a huge liability this season.
The wiggle room in cap space and assets that would need to be sent to Denver may hurt, but the price to pay is worth improving the cornerback room.
Look out for possible trades coming soon, seeing as week one is just 10 days away.