ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — The first step to getting interceptions is getting a hand on the football.
That’s why more playing time for De’Vante Bausby might be exactly what the Broncos need to begin finding the thefts that they have struggled to locate in the season’s first three weeks.
With Bryce Callahan sidelined for at least another four to six weeks, following a procedure stemming from issues related to the foot injury that he first incurred last season while with the Chicago Bears, the Broncos need more than just a short-term fix. And in the wake of the struggles for second-year cornerback Isaac Yiadom in the regular season’s first two weeks, Bausby became an option.
He responded last Sunday by breaking up two Aaron Rodgers passes toward Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Both came on third down, forcing Green Bay’s offense off the field each time.
The longest-tenured member of the Broncos’ secondary, Chris Harris Jr., took notice.
“Man, I love ‘Baus’,” he said. “He comes in and brings great energy. He has great ball skills.”
By breaking up two of the four passes Rodgers fired in his direction, Bausby offered tangible evidence that his aggressive work in the ill-fated Alliance of American Football could translate to the NFL.
The Broncos need a ballhawk. Yiadom, who allowed 12 receptions in the first two weeks without breaking up a pass, was not proving to be the answer.
Bausby might be, although Fangio made a point of saying his ascension was not a result of a loss of confidence in Yiadom.
“I wouldn’t go that far with it,” Fangio said, “but Bausby played better when he got in there, so he’ll be in there.”
Quick bursts that lead to breaks on the ball are what Bausby brings. Those allowed him to lead the AAF in interceptions before the league shut down after eight games.
His play Sunday reminded Harris about another cornerback known for his rapid-fire reactions and plays on the football.
“He reminds me of DRC,” said Harris, recalling Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the quick, lanky cornerback who had 12 passes defensed and three interceptions — including a pick-six — in the 2013 season for Denver.
“I love his game. As long as he comes in, he’s well-prepared, he always has a great chance to make plays.”
Harris beamed as he compared Bausby and Rodgers-Cromartie in the locker room after the Packers game, and Bausby had a similar smile when he was told of Harris’ statement.
“Chris is my dawg, man,” Bausby said. “To get a compliment like that from him is awesome — a future Hall of Fame guy. I just love watching him every day — his game, what he does in the classroom, as well, it’s awesome. It’s dope.”
“[Rodgers-Cromartie is a] tall, long guy like me,” Bausby added a moment later. “Very fast and he has more accolades and more stats than me, but it’s a good person to look up to.”
Bausby had to wait his turn through the first two games, playing no defensive snaps until Sunday in Green Bay. The lack of work was something of a surprise given how Bausby seemed to seal his place on the 53-man roster long before training camp.
With Harris not taking part in OTAs until the final two weeks because of a contract dispute, and Callahan and Yiadom recovering from their injuries, Bausby found himself thrust onto the first team for much of the offseason. He made the same kind of plays on the ball he did Sunday — which were just like the plays he made in the AAF.
“For him coming in, his first game really playing, I think he did a great job. I think he made some big-time plays on third down,” defensive back Kareem Jackson said. “But as a secondary, we know he’s very capable and he showed us that all throughout camp. So for him to come in and make those plays, it wasn’t surprising at all.”
But Bausby wasn’t the only cornerback making plays in OTAs and during training camp, which is why the Broncos’ historic lack of takeaways surprises him.
“It’s kind of weird, though, because throughout OTAs and training camp, everything was going well,” he said. “As of now, we don’t have any turnovers and things like that, which is real shocking, because we gelled real well in the offseason and during training camp.
“… Once things start rolling, and that one person gets the first one, it’s going to be real spooky. Everybody’s going to contribute and start making plays. We’re just waiting on that one.”
If Bausby wants to cement his spot in the lineup while Callahan continues his protracted recovery from the foot injury, one interception Sunday might be all it takes.
