Ja’Wuan James and Bryce Callahan each signed big contracts with the Denver Broncos this past offseason, but they hardly played at all.
Denver Broncos president of football operations/general manager John Elway has always tried to be as aggressive as possible in obtaining free agents to keep up with a “win now” mindset for his team.
Many of those signings have worked out, including Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and T.J. Ward. But just like any great hitter in baseball, there will be some swings and misses.
Two of the biggest misses, at least to this point, in the team’s history in terms of free-agent signings occurred this past offseason when Elway signed offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and defensive back Bryce Callahan.
Between those two players, Elway dished out $72 million in contracts, hoping each player would come in and make a significant contribution right away. Each signing came with risk, though.
James, a former first-round pick of the Miami Dolphins, had a history of knee problems, which is why the Dolphins gave up on him relatively easily. Still, Elway felt making him one of the league’s highest-paid right tackles was worth it.
James ended up playing on just 63 offensive snaps this season, or just over six percent of the team’s offensive plays. That forced Elijah Wilkinson into an extended role, and that just didn’t work out.
James’ knees gave him trouble again and now one must wonder if he can ever play in a full 16-game season again.
The signing of Callahan seemed like a great one, despite offseason surgery to repair a broken foot. His familiarity with Vic Fangio’s defense due to their time with the Chicago Bears made him a sensible signing with a high ceiling.
There was even talk of a “No Fly Zone” rebirth. That didn’t happen.
The 63 snaps that James played this season were 63 more than Callahan played. Callahan’s foot problems only became worse because of complications with a screw in his foot and he missed the entire season.
It’s going to be hard for the Broncos to trust either of these players going forward, but at least according to Elway, both players are in the team’s plans next season.
“Unfortunately, there were guys that we counted on that couldn’t go. That was unfortunate. That happens,” Elway said on Dec. 30. “That happens in this game and you’re going to have tough years and you’re going to have good years when it comes down to injury.
“That’s a big part of this game. When you have a lot of injuries, it’s tough to get through that. We look forward for them coming back and helping us next year. I think Ja’Wuan was frustrated with his knee and Bryce with the foot. We have them coming back next year.”
And they kind of have to be unless the team wants to incur some pretty heavy hits in dead money, particularly in the case of James.
James has a cap number of $13 million next season but would cost the team $19 million in dead money if he were to be cut. Callahan’s cap number is set at $7.8 million next season with $6.1 million being dead money if the team were to cut him, allowing the Broncos to save just over $1 million in cap space if he were to be cut.
Hopefully, Callahan’s foot will return to 100 percent. If that happens, the Broncos could have one of the league’s premier slot corners.
Things are much more tricky with James, who in many ways was an even worse signing than Callahan, who didn’t play one game.
James may as well have not played this season, as he was injured whenever he got on the field and didn’t recover well at all. Chronic knee issues are a real concern and if he misses time next season due to knee problems, it would be hard to blame anyone for writing him off.
Unfortunately, the team gave him a hefty deal and for that, they need to see it through. But is anyone optimistic about that at all? Is anyone happy that he is the Broncos’ right tackle?
At the very least, the Broncos should look at a better swing tackle than Elijah Wilkinson (who scored a
59.6 grade for the season from Pro Football Focus) or Jake Rodgers, as there is a good chance that backup player will be called upon in 2020, just as Wilkinson and Rodgers were this season.
So to answer the question, can the Broncos count on these two players in 2020? I think you would be being highly optimistic if you said yes, as this season suggested anything but.
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