Getty Free agent cornerback Bryce Callahan was listed as an option for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs are back in Week 11 and the Bleacher Report staff had a veteran free agent option for KC to take a look at from a depth perspective.
Former Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers starter Bryce Callahan is currently unsigned. It’s unclear what the long-time NFL cornerback is looking for at age 32, but most older players are typically interested in a chance at a Super Bowl run.
“[The Chiefs] can get some insurance in case of an injury with Bryce Callahan right now,” Bleacher Report suggested. “Callahan just turned 32 years old and was successful in 11 starts for the Chargers last season.”
The slot extraordinaire has never been a part of a championship team, but he’s been a tremendous role player throughout his career. As a depth piece in KC, the Chiefs could do far worse.
Chiefs Very Young at Cornerback in the Event of Injury
Kansas City has managed to avoid major injury to the secondary in 2023.
Trent McDuffie has suited up for all nine outings this year after only starting 11 as a rookie. Veteran L’Jarius Sneed has also managed to stay healthy this season, as has second-year prospect Joshua Williams.
In fact, out of the Chiefs’ top four CBs, only Jaylen Watson has missed a game due to injury in 2023. And KC still has rookie Nic Jones on the roster behind him.
So, why add Callahan?
If the Chiefs did sign the seven-year NFL pro, it would likely be a practice squad deal to start. That might make sense for Kansas City.
The second-half free agent option would merely serve as a backup plan, in the event that one or two of the Chiefs’ top four gets hurt. Let’s say Sneed misses a few starts, for example, or some combination of McDuffie, Williams or Watson suffers an injury.
It’s not something KC fans want to think about, but it’s a general manager’s job to prepare for the worst and the Chiefs have very little veteran depth at CB right now.
On the practice squad, Kansas City only has undrafted rookie Ekow Boye-Doe and Keith Taylor at the position. The latter does have some experience with the Carolina Panthers, but his track record is nothing like Callahan’s (56 career NFL starts).
It might behoove the Chiefs to shore up this area of the roster, as Bleacher Report noted on November 13.
Chiefs Gear Up for Super Bowl Rematch in Week 11
After a week of rest and relaxation, the Chiefs must prepare for another big-time matchup in Week 11 as the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles come to town.
The Super Bowl rematch comes after a somewhat controversial end to the 2022-23 championship game — and all the trash talk that followed. To be honest, a lot of the luster was taken away from that aspect after wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson both left their respective teams in free agency.
Having said that, there is still a budding rivalry here between KC and Philadelphia.
The Kelce brothers turned this into a friendly Super Bowl matchup last February, but this rematch is more about supremacy. The Chiefs and Eagles lead the AFC and NFC conferences once again, and it’s quite possible they’ll face each other for a second straight winter.
Week 11 is the precursor of that possibility, and it should be another great matchup for the fans. After all, Patrick Mahomes II and Jalen Hurts are still two of the league’s best, and these rosters could be the most complete in the NFL at the moment.