Bryce Callahan remains in limbo regarding his Chicago Bears future. It’s no secret the team would like to keep their long-time nickel cornerback. However, things always get complicated when money is involved. Especially for a team like the Bears who don’t have a ton to spend. This means they have to be careful in these negotiations. If Callahan pushes his price past a certain point, they could be forced to move on.
It’s the cold reality of business in the NFL. For GM Ryan Pace, his job is to have contingency plans in place if things like this happen. One can bet he’s got some ideas formulating. The question is what are they? The most obvious answer is they seek out somebody a bit cheaper in free agency who could at least give them needed depth at cornerback.
Pro Football Focus and ESPN formulated a list of free agents going into March and gave each team a name they should sign. The choice for the Bears was an interesting one and addresses this issue regarding Callahan
“Chicago Bears: CB Steven Nelson
2018 team: Chiefs | Age: 26With both Bryce Callahan and Adrian Amos set to hit free agency, the Bears could very well need to bolster a secondary that developed into one of the best playmaking units in the NFL last year. Nelson turned into a playmaker himself in 2018, logging 10 pass breakups and four interceptions while allowing a catch rate of only 53.1 percent in his coverage.”
Steven Nelson would be a Chicago Bears type of signing
One thing about Pace and his free agency approach over the years is he has a tendency to pinpoint players who are on the younger side who are considered “ascending” in their careers. That was how he landed Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Bobby Massie. Steven Nelson would absolutely fall into that same category.
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The first three years of his NFL career, Nelson was little more than a reserve who barely played. That changed in 2018. As a starter, he logged a full 16 games and caught four interceptions, which was four more than he had before the season began. It was perfect timing in regards to his expiring contract and it’s also worth noting he’s a year younger than Callahan at 26.
He may not be a lot cheaper than Callahan, but the odds are he won’t command big money. The Chiefs likely would prefer to keep him but they are distracted with the looming extensions of stars Dee Ford and Chris Jones. They may be forced to sacrifice Nelson to maintain some cap flexibility. So this idea has plenty of merits.
