NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears defense needed someone to step up in Khalil Mack’s absence, but how many of you had Bryce Callahan’s name down as the guy to do it?
Callahan’s 83.8 grade from Pro Football Focus against the Jets last Sunday was good enough to land him a spot on the site’s Team of the Week. He allowed just two catches for 23 yards, had three pass breakups, and allowed a passer rating of 45.8 when targeted by Sam Darnold. Indeed, Callahan had four tackles, a tackle-for-loss, a sack, and a QB hit in the process. It’s the kind of performance that would stand out more if this wasn’t becoming norm for Callahan, who is in the midst of a well-timed breakout season: he’s a free agent at the end of the year (so keep that in mind as we discuss him here today).
Pro Football Focus ranks Callahan as the eighth-highest-graded cornerback in the game this season. And while he’s fourth on the team in tackles (28), that number leads the the team’s cornerbacks. Only Kyle Fuller has more pass breakups than Callahan’s four and he also has one of the team’s 11 interceptions. It was a big one, too, as it essentially sealed the Week 3 win at Arizona. In addition to his excellence in coverage, Callahan has also contributed a sacks, three quarterback hits, and three tackles-for-loss this year. Yep, this is totally what an age 27 breakout looks like.
With that said, there is a sense of “Whoa, who could’ve seen this coming!?” After all, Callahan was a restricted free agent last offseason and was given only an original round tender (just like Cameron Meredith) so he couldn’t have been all that valuable right? Well, not exactly. In fact, Callahan has been quite valuable since joining the Bears and stepping into the nickel cornerback role while playing at a high level. But being a slot corner on a sub-.500 team isn’t going to draw much of a crowd in free agency – even if this pass-happy NFL necessitates the need for three starting-caliber cornerbacks.
Speaking of which, and for all intents and purposes, Callahan is a starter based on the number of snaps he plays and how often offenses are trotting out three receiver sets. Specifically, Callahan has played on 375 snaps (or 86.21%) of the defense’s total plays this season, and only Kyle Fuller (99.54%) has been on the field more as a cornerback for the 2018 Bears.
That says a lot about the importance of his role as nickel corner and for how well he’s played this season. And it’s worth noting that the team doesn’t appear to have an in-house replacement waiting in the wings.
With that in mind, I think the Bears should consider handing Callahan an extension before he becomes a free agent at the end of the year. Bears GM Ryan Pace has shown a knack to reward home-grown talent (see nose tackle Eddie Goldman), and it’s possible that Callahan’s charge is making a case for an extension of his own.
Before this year, the only reservations surrounding Callahan were injury-related – Callahan has never played a full 16-game season. And while there was a feeling of “here we go again” when he suffered a minor ankle injury during practice before the Patriots game, the Bears were able to get him in a position where he didn’t miss the game altogether.
But still, this is the sort of decision that could tie a front office in knots. Extending the contract of a slot corner doesn’t sound like the greatest idea, but having a break-out season soon after being a solid and productive contributor for several years will go a long way toward helping your cause.
And if it feels like déjà vu all over again, you’re probably remembering how almost the same thing happened with Kyle Fuller last winter. The Bears and Fuller eventually came to terms on a deal because they realized how important he was to the defense moving forward. All things considered, I can see the Bears following a similar path with Callahan.
