Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Report: Broncos Don't Plan to Tender RFA CB De'Vante Bausby
The Denver Broncos are facing potentially a massive —some might say — gaping hole at the cornerback position. With four-time Pro Bowler Chris Harris, Jr. hitting unrestricted free agency, and Bryce Callahan still yet to play a down in the Orange and Blue, the Broncos' only options currently under contract are Isaac Yiadom (ouch), Davontae Harris (ouch) and Duke Dawson (ouch again).
The thought that the Broncos would be getting De'Vante Bausby back in 2020 on a restricted free-agent tender helped mitigate some of the uncertainty at cornerback. But now, based on a report from Denver7's Troy Renck, the Broncos don't appear intent on tendering the RFA Bausby.
Bausby was signed following the demise of the AAF last spring. He led the now-defunct pro football league in interceptions in its one and only season of existence playing for the San Antonio Commanders.
Bausby hit training camp and flourished in Vic Fangio's scheme. A big part of that was due to the fact that it wasn't Bausby's first exposure to Fangio, as he spent two years in Chicago (2015-16), but it was also due to his unique skill-set as a corner.
Bausby made the Broncos' 53-man roster out of camp and by the end of the first quarter of the season, he had leap-frogged Yiadom on the depth chart. Bausby played well, starting in Weeks 4 and 5. And then disaster struck.
In a case of friendly fire, Bausby suffered a scary neck injury in Week 5 after colliding with Broncos' LB Alexander Johnson on a tackle. Bausby lost feeling in his limbs for half an hour before finally regaining all motor control and senses at a Los Angeles area hospital.
The Broncos placed him on season-ending injured reserve, which hurt because Callahan couldn't get on the field and Kareem Jackson was being played at strong safety. What Bausby showed in his brief window of action was very encouraging.
So Why not Tender him?
It comes down to one or two possible drawbacks for the Broncos. One, the team doesn't feel that Bausby would be worth even the lowest right-of-first-refusal tender, which would pay him north of $2 million for 2020.
Two, the team might still be concerned about his neck. It was technically a cervical sprain, which is a very serious injury, but on January 15, Bausby tweeted that he is now 100% healthy and looking forward to getting back on the field.
It would be hard for the Broncos to find a better No. 3 cornerback with No. 2 upside on the open market at a cheaper price than $2M. The team likely expects Bausby to find a cold market for his services, based on the fact that he's never really been able to catch on in the NFL and spent most of 2019 on injured reserve.
It's still a questionable decision, considering the team's DEFCON 1-level need at cornerback and $70M in cap space the Broncos currently have. Who knows? If the Broncos end up re-signing Bausby to a veteran minimum deal, GM John Elway will look like a genius and we'll all be singing his praises.
Right now, though, I've got to say, I'm dubious about not locking down the 27-year-old Bausby as an RFA. Maybe the team is a lot more optimistic about getting Harris, Jr. re-signed than we thought.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
