The Lead
Bryce Callahan is ready to get the bad taste of 2019 out of his mouth.
His season had been over before it even began, as a foot fracture suffered during the 2018 season was unable to heal properly. He went to injured reserve without having played a game, and then he had surgery to replace the screw that had bent inside his foot.
Now Callahan is itching to make his long-awaited debut in a Broncos uniform.
"I'm ready to get back out there," Callahan told the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. "I'm full-go with no limitations. I'm not really even thinking about my foot. Everything is moving in the right direction. I just want to play all 16 games, stay healthy and ball out."
In Callahan's most recent season, he established himself as an up-and-coming talent; among cornerbacks who played at least 400 snaps in 2018, he ranked 10th in Pro Football Focus' overall defensive grades.
That kind of performance in 2020 could solidify the Broncos' secondary, which is expected to feature Callahan and A.J. Bouye at cornerback and a starting safety tandem of Justin Simmons and Kareem Jackson. Alongside a pass rush that includes Von Miller, a healthy Bradley Chubb and new defensive lineman Jurrell Casey, Callahan has an opportunity to have a career year in 2020.
"I don't want to say I've got something to prove, but I've got something to prove to myself," Callahan said. "I've never been more excited to get back out on the football field. This was my first year in 20-something odd years that I didn't play football, so it's a big year for me. I've never worked this hard in the offseason."
Below the Fold
Among the topics of conversation in a Q&A with The Denver Post's Mark Kiszla: How much could the Broncos' offense improve and what it could mean for the team's overall outlook.
In this week’s “Football Morning in America,” former NFL executive Joe Browne reflected on the merger between the NFL and AFL, how that new-look league came to decide its divisions and the development of the NFL through the 1970s after the merger.
