The Chargers signed former Broncos CB Bryce Callahan on Tuesday.
Here are four things to know about the newest member of the Bolt’s secondary.
College teammate of DT Christian Covington
When Covington joined the Broncos ahead of the 2020 season, it was Callahan who welcomed him to the city after six years apart from one another during their time at Rice. Now, it’s Covington’s turn to show his college teammate the ins and outs of LA. During their final season as Owls, Callahan logged 2 interceptions and 7 pass deflections in 13 games, including a 30-6 Hawaii Bowl win over Fresno State. Covington had 20 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 6 games before missing the remainder of the season due to injury.
Nomadic childhood
Callahan was born in Moscow, Idaho, a city of 25,000 people that is most notable for being the location of the University of Idaho. His stepfather constructed water towers, a job that necessitated constant movement to and from the next project. As a result, Callahan spent time in 15 or 16 states, by his estimation, before settling in Texas for high school and college. He said in a 2020 interview with the Denver Post that his favorite stops were California and North Carolina. Now, he returns to the Golden State to aid Derwin James and co. in the Chargers secondary.
Shrine Bowl Standout
Despite going undrafted in 2015, there were plenty of people who knew Callahan had the makings of an NFL corner. For one, he played well enough at Rice to earn an invite to the Shrine Bowl, largely regarded as the second-best all-star game on the circuit. While in St. Petersburg for practices, Callahan was named by at-the-time NFL Network analyst and now-former Raiders GM Mike Mayock as one of the week’s standouts, along with other future veterans like G Jon Feliciano and CB Bobby McCain. He also went up against Raiders TE Darren Waller while at Shrine, the experience that will serve him well in his second stop in the AFC West.
Full Circle
After signing with Vic Fangio’s Bears squad following the 2015 NFL Draft, Callahan fought his way onto the roster, then spent the season’s first two months yo-yo-ing between the active roster and the practice squad. His first career pass deflection came on November 9, 2015, in a 22-19 victory over the then-San Diego Chargers. Now, the player who got his first shot from Fangio will play for the coach that says he owes his career to Fangio. Callahan is familiar with Brandon Staley, having spent 2017-19 on the same team between Chicago and Denver. Between that, Rice, and lining up against Justin Herbert twice a year, there are plenty of familiar faces to greet Callahan in LA.
