Bryce Jordan Callahan (born October 23, 1991) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

for the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Rice Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima ''Oryza glaberrima'', commonly known as African rice, is one of the two domesticated rice species. It was first domesticated and grown i ...

, and signed with the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2015.

Early years

Callahan attended

Cypress Woods High School Cypress Woods High School, commonly known as Cy Woods, is a secondary school located in Cypress, which is an unincorporated area of Harris County, Texas, United States, near Houston. The principal of Cypress Woods is Gary Kinninger. The schoo ...

where he played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. 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

Chicago Bears

2015

On May 2, 2015, Callahan signed with the

as an undrafted free agent following the conclusion of the

2015 NFL Draft The 2015 NFL Draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park, from April 30 to May 2. The previous ...

. He made his NFL debut on September 13 against the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

. On September 22, the Bears waived Callahan. On September 24, the Bears re-signed Callahan for the practice squad. On October 20, he was promoted to the active roster. On November 9, Callahan recorded his first career pass deflection against the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...

. On January 3, 2016, Callahan recorded his first career sack against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

. 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.

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 The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

on ''

Monday Night Football ''ESPN Monday Night Football'' (abbreviated as ''MNF'' and also known as ''ESPN Monday Night Football on ABC'' for simulcasts) is an American live television broadcast of weekly National Football League (NFL) games currently airing on ESPN, AB ...

'', Callahan made a diving play to deflect a touchdown pass from quarterback

Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). Wentz played college football at North Dakota State, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS nat ...

to tight end

Brent Celek Brent Steven Celek (; born January 25, 1985) is an American football executive and former tight end for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati and was drafted by the Eagles in the ...

. On October 9, he made a career-high six tackles but left early due to a hamstring injury against the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. On December 11, Callahan broke up a career high two passes against the Detroit Lions. 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. On September 24, he grabbed his second career sack and his first career forced fumble, bringing down

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college footba ...

and knocking the football free. On October 15, Callahan grabbed his first career interception, picking off

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

Joe Flacco Joseph Vincent Flacco (born January 16, 1985) is an American football quarterback for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Delaware after transferring from Pittsburgh and was drafted by the Baltim ...

and returning it 52 yards. He grabbed his second interception off

DeShone Kizer DeShone Allen Kizer (born January 3, 1996) is an American football quarterback who has played in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. He played college football at Notre Dame and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the secon ...

of the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

on December 24. On December 31, Callahan returned a punt on a trick play 59 yards for a touchdown in the season finale against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

. 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. On April 17, he signed a one-year deal worth $1.3 million. Callahan was named the third cornerback and the starting slot cornerback on the Bears’ depth chart, behind

Kyle Fuller Kyle Brandon Fuller (born February 16, 1992) is an American football cornerback for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft and played college ...

and

Prince Amukamara Prince Kelechi Amukamara (born June 6, 1989) is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for Nebraska, and earned unanimous All-American honors. He was drafted by the New York Giants in the first round of ...

. On September 23, Callahan intercepted quarterback

Josh Rosen Joshua Ballinger Lippincott Rosen (born February 10, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, receiving Freshman All-American and ...

to seal a 16–14 victory against the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

. On October 28, Callahan made 4 tackles, deflected 3 passes and sacked quarterback

Sam Darnold Samuel Richard Darnold (born June 5, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, where he became the first freshman to win the Archie Griffin Awar ...

in a 24–10 victory against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. In Week 10 against the

, Callahan made 5 tackles, sacked, and intercepted quarterback

Matthew Stafford John Matthew Stafford (born February 7, 1988) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia, where he was a first-team All-American, and was selected f ...

in the 34–22 win. He suffered a broken foot in Week 14 and was placed on injured reserve on December 12, 2018. 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 Pro Football Focus (also written as ProFootballFocus, and often referred to by its initials, PFF) is a sports analytics company that focuses on thorough analysis of the National Football League (NFL) and NCAA Division-I football in the United Sta ...

in 2018, which ranked as the 7th highest grade among all qualifying cornerbacks and 3rd among all slot cornerbacks.

Denver Broncos

2019

On March 15, 2019, Callahan signed a three-year, $21 million contract with the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

, reuniting him with former Bears defensive coordinator and Broncos head coach

Vic Fangio Victor Mick Fangio (born August 22, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). Fangio most recently served as the head coach of the Denver Broncos of the ...

. He began training camp as the Denver Broncos’ starting right cornerback in their base packages opposite starting left cornerback

Chris Harris Jr. Christopher Harris Jr. (born June 18, 1989) is an American football cornerback for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Kansas. He was signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free age ...

The Broncos also named Callahan the starting slot cornerback in sub-packages. 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.

2020

Callahan entered training camp as a starting cornerback opposite A. J. Bouye and rookie

Michael Ojemudia Michael Ojemudia (born September 12, 1997) is an American football cornerback for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa. College career Playing high school football at Harrison High School i ...

. He finally made his debut with the Broncos as the starting slot cornerback in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

on ''Monday Night Football''. During the game, Callahan recorded 8 tackles in the 16–14 loss. In Week 6 against the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

, Callahan recorded his first interception as a Bronco off a pass thrown by

Cam Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NFL ...

during the 18–12 win. In Week 8 against the

, Callahan intercepted a pass thrown by

Justin Herbert Justin Patrick Herbert (born March 10, 1998) is an American football quarterback for the Los Angeles Chargers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon, where he won the 2019 Pac-12 Championship and was named ...

during the 31–30 win. He was placed on injured reserve on December 2, 2020.

2021

Entering the 2021 season, Callahan was slated to retain his starting slot cornerback role as the Broncos signed

and

Ronald Darby Ronald Darby (born January 2, 1994) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Florida State and was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2015 ...

in free agency and drafted

Patrick Surtain II Patrick Frank Surtain II ( ; born April 14, 2000) is an American football cornerback for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama and was drafted ninth overall by the Broncos in the 2021 NFL ...

in the first round of the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

. At the conclusion of the NFL preseason, head coach

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. He was activated on December 11. 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

References

External links

Rice University bioChicago Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Callahan, Bryce 1991 births Living people American football cornerbacks Chicago Bears players Denver Broncos players Los Angeles Chargers players People from Cypress, Texas Players of American football from Texas Rice Owls football players Sportspeople from Harris County, Texas