Broncos camp competition preview: Here's why cornerback could be the most impactful position battle

DENVER — The most wide-open position battle on the Broncos roster is also the one that could define the ceiling of the defense.

If at least one cornerback emerges as a quality No. 3 behind projected starters A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan, Denver would possess the capability of having a smooth rush-and-cover partnership.

But at some point, that No. 3 cornerback will likely need to be the No. 2 — something the Broncos experienced for the entire 2019 season because of Callahan’s foot troubles.

Callahan is 100 percent now after devoting the last eight months to completing his rehabilitation from the injury that he suffered in Chicago and then aggravated during the open practice at what was then known as Broncos Stadium at Mile High in July.

But to expect Callahan to remain that way through the entire season is to expect something that hasn’t happened yet. After playing in seven games during a 2015 rookie season that saw him spend time on the practice squad, Callahan played in 11 games in 2016, followed by 12 in 2017 and 13 in 2018. Knee injuries were the culprits in 2016 and 2017, with the foot injury costing him the final three regular-season games of 2018.

This is why discerning eyes will be on third-round pick Michael Ojemudia and returning cornerbacks Davontae Harris, Isaac Yiadom, De’Vante Bausby and Duke Dawson.

Each of the four returning veterans in that group started at least two games apiece last year. With Chris Harris Jr. starting all 16 games and Callahan sidelined, the Broncos had five different cornerbacks starting multiple games in 2019. Prior to last year, the last time the Broncos experienced that was in 2013.

The search for stability defined the position.

The one player who nearly helped them find it was felled by a neck injury just as he was rounding into form.

That is Bausby.

The glimpse at him was brief — most of the Packers game, all of the Jaguars loss and the first quarter of the win at Los Angeles — but promising. The anticipation and aggressiveness he showed in leading the Alliance of American Football in interceptions translated. His background in Vic Fangio’s defense helped stabilize him. And his short memory prevented him from moping when he was beaten.

Consider this: Bausby was clearly targeted 15 times in the 136 snaps of action he saw last year. He registered three pass breakups — one every five opportunities. That was by far the best rate of any Broncos cornerback last year.

• Bausby: 3 passes defensed in 15 targets; one every 5 chances
• Dawson: 2 passes defensed in 21 targets, one every 10.5 chances
• Chris Harris Jr.: 6 passes defensed in 75 targets, one every 12.5 chances
• Yiadom: 4 passes defensed in 56 targets, one every 14.0 chances
• Davontae Harris: 3 passes defensed in 50 targets, one every 16.7 chances

The pendulum swung toward Yiadom, Dawson and Davontae Harris as the rest of the season progressed and the Broncos tried to patch the secondary together. Harris flashed early, but was picked on in November, particularly by Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. He played just four defensive snaps in the final month of the season.

Dawson showed promise in a hybrid role, but could find himself in a fight for that job with Ojemudia. Furthermore, Dawson appeared to fall out of favor down the stretch last year; he saw just seven defensive snaps in Weeks 14-17 after averaging 48.1 snaps in the seven games in which he played from Week 4 through Week 12.

Less work for Dawson and Davontae Harris meant two things: more use of Will Parks in a hybrid nickel role and a second chance for Yiadom.

Yiadom returned to the starting lineup in Week 13 and stayed there, breaking up four passes — all in the final three games — and playing with more confidence and steadiness than at any other point in his young career.

Yet it is the hybrid role that could mean an opening for Ojemudia, whose skill set and ability to read plays as they develop could give him an opening to handle the Parks role — and effectively be the No. 3 cornerback.

Still, Callahan’s health overshadows all. Whoever earns the No. 3 and No. 4 roles will likely find themselves in an opposing quarterback’s crosshairs at some point.

And if those jobs are handled by two of the four returning young veterans, their success will be determined by how much they learned from a 2019 season that saw bright glimpses tinged with painful ones.