Broncos' GM George Paton Doubles Down on Cornerback Trade Rumors
On Saturday night, the Denver Broncos hosted their first home game of the preseason and against the Los Angeles Rams, emerging victorious 17-12 in a contest that saw starters Von Miller, Courtland Sutton, and Melvin Gordon make their 2021 debuts.
Freshly anointed starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater found his grove with offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur’s first-string unit that culminated in Sutton catching two passes for 27 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, head coach Vic Fangio’s defense showcased Miller, who logged three tackles — one of which was extremely close to being a sack.
So, while Denver’s dynamic stars demonstrated on both sides of the ball that they’re fully recovered from 2020’s season-long injuries, it was GM George Paton’s comments to the broadcast team that made the NFL start buzzing.
9NEWS’ preseason broadcast team of Brian Griese and Steve Levy welcomed the Broncos' first-year GM George Paton to the booth towards the end of the game on Saturday night. During his short time on camera, Paton answered questions ranging from the team's momentous starting QB decision to passing on Justin Fields in the NFL draft.
When asked if the Broncos have received interest in their deep defensive backfield, Paton didn’t mince words.
“I’m not going to lie; we’re getting a number of calls," Paton said. "Corner is a premium in this league.”
The announcement doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise to anyone in Broncos Country, as Paton previously hinted at Denver’s embarrassment of riches earlier this month. Prior to the first preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, the GM signaled to the NFL that the Broncos are open for business at the cornerback position.
"Corners, a lot of them go down, so we’re really happy with our depth," Paton said back on August 13. "We have a lot of teams calling us on our depth. But we like our corners, that’s for sure.”
The declaration that Denver could potentially deal at least one cornerback is very curious and could make a lot of sense.
Fans should be pulling their hair out over rookie first-rounder Patrick Surtain II not being in the starting defensive lineup. While head coach Vic Fangio might be quick to point out that nickel and dime packages are quickly becoming his base defense, as a reaction to the proliferation of the NFL passing offense,
I’m not falling for it. Surtain is undoubtedly the best corner on this team, period. I’m suggesting that by not starting Surtain out of the gates — whom Paton has stated was his top-ranked prospect in the draft — the Broncos could be showcasing a corner or two for another team. As I’ve been digging into the NFL rumor mill over the last several weeks, I’ve received concurrent intel that veteran corner Bryce Callahan is on the radar of a host of teams.
Callahan followed Fangio and defensive coordinator Ed Donatell from the Chicago Bears to Denver in 2019. The 5-foot-9, 188-pound slot corner out of Rice University went undrafted in 2015 but made an impression on his defensive coaches in Chicago where he went on to play in 45 games, logging 123 tackles (110 solo), 11 tackles for a loss, 20 passes defended, and four interceptions.
But Callahan's immediate success in the Windy City hardly translated to the altitude in Denver as Callahan was sidelined with a previously diagnosed foot injury for all of 2019. After failing to play a snap in his first year with Denver, he returned to the field in 2020, showcasing elite form and making an early case for Pro Bowl honors.
However, all his momentum stopped suddenly after being designated to injured reserve as a result of another injury, lending credence to the concern over him having never completed a full NFL season healthy in his career.
If the Broncos were to trade their starting slot corner, who seems to have returned to elite form in training camp, what would the compensation look like?
Expect a mid-to-late-round draft pick at best in exchange for Callahan in a potential trade, if not an outright swap for another position of need like linebacker or edge rusher. Teams that have been rumored to be interested in acquiring a veteran corner include the Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and San Francisco 49ers.
Callahan who will turn 30 years old this season is in the final year of his deal with the Broncos, and if dealt, the acquiring team would absorb approximately $7.17 million for the 2021 season.
How would this affect Fangio’s defensive lineup? It hardly would cause a headache let alone a commotion as Kyle Fuller has the potential to play in the slot, which would allow Surtain to start as the boundary corner with Ronald Darby. Or Surtain could play the slot which he’s done ad nauseum in training camp practices all summer long, leaving Fuller on the perimeter.
Thus far, the Broncos have been extremely fortunate in avoiding the bite of the injury bug. Unless Paton gets what he deems to be top dollar for a high-quality starting corner, I’d expect a defensive back to be dealt prior to the trade deadline of the regular season.
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