Broncos claim S Will Parks, place CB Bryce Callahan on IR

Ahead of their most difficult assignment annually, the Broncos will be down their best-performing cornerback. The Broncos will travel to Kansas City and face at least their next three opponents without Bryce Callahan.

They are placing Callahan on IR, Nick Kosmider of The Athletic tweets. The team will reunite with Will Parks, however. The four-year Bronco contributor will return to Denver via waiver claim, per KOA Radio’s Benjamin Allbright (on Twitter). The Eagles waived Parks this week.

Callahan has run into more foot trouble. The standout defender injured the same foot that kept him out of action all last season, and Vic Fangio said a multi-week absence was on tap. Callahan exited Week 12 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall cornerback, belatedly justifying the Broncos’ three-year, $21M investment. He initially injured the foot in December 2018 while playing for Fangio in Chicago.

This is certainly cause for concern for the sixth-year cover man. It leaves a Broncos defense that has been without Von Miller and its entire D-line with a major issue going into the biannual Chiefs contest.

Parks opted to play for his hometown Eagles this offseason, agreeing to a one-year deal. The Broncos originally drafted him in the 2016 seventh round, four rounds after their Justin Simmons pick, and will have him back to use as a depth safety and potentially as a coverage linebacker.