Sometimes you’ve got to admit when you’re wrong. Such a moment crystalized for the Denver Broncos on Sunday as the team’s attempt to bridge the gap without starting cornerbacks A.J. Bouye and Bryce Callahan ran aground spectacularly.
On Tuesday, a happy twist of football fate gave the Broncos a chance to make amends for an ostensible roster blunder by claiming cornerback De’Vante Bausby off waivers after the Arizona Cardinals had cut him. The Broncos went 17 days without Bausby since he was released on October 24.
Bausby was signed straight to the active roster with tight end Albert Okwuegbunam moving to injured reserve. Bausby will now provide the much-needed veteran insurance if Bouye and/or Callahan are unable to return in time for Week 10’s road tilt with the Las Vegas Raiders.
Restoring Bausby’s experience to the cornerback depth chart has been roundly welcomed in the wake of Denver’s poor performance in Atlanta where QB Matt Ryan brutally exposed the Broncos’ lack of veteran depth on the perimeter.
Bausby might be worth his weight in gold because he provides an immediate plug-and-play option with knowledge and experience in the Vic Fangio scheme. In the wake of Bausby’s return, a vast swath of Broncos Country is left to seriously question the wisdom of letting him walk in the first place, especially when the lack of depth left behind was so glaring.
There was some prior evidence of the inexperience behind the starters that should have been made abundantly clear to the Broncos’ coaches back in October when undrafted rookie Essang Bassey had to be pulled from the lineup in favor of Bausby during Week 4’s win over the New York Jets.
Defensive coordinator Ed Donatell spoke of the decision to insert Bausby then and what he brought to the table.
“The biggest part of him—and there wasn’t a big camp, so I can’t compare them—but last camp, he’s a good athlete, he’s a good cover guy and he was progressing,” Donatell said back on October 8. “He stayed ready and when he got his chance, he came up big for us, and that’s what we like to see.”
Bausby showed out in that game, notching three pass break-ups, one of whiched stopped a sure-fire touchdown. With he and Michael Ojemudia on the boundary, the Broncos were able to kick Callahan inside to replace the embattled Bassey at nickel and the defense kicked into high gear. Somewhere along the line, the Broncos lost sight of that, though it might have had to do with Bouye’s return to the starting lineup in Week 7.
“It shows that he was engaged all through the week even though he wasn’t getting much work, and then when he was called on because we wanted to make an adjustment to their hottest player, we put Bryce, an experienced nickel on him, which was nothing against Essang,” Donatell said of Bausby’s Week 4 performance. “We just needed experience at the time. He comes in and replaces Bryce at the outside and he did a great job.”
Ahead of another tricky and perhaps season-defining road trip to Vegas, Bausby’s return should be regarded as essential shopping rather than a luxury item. Injuries have derailed the Broncos’ momentum but Fangio stressed on Monday that his team has to forge ahead and can’t point to the ever-growing injury list as excuses.
“You just have to deal with it,” Fangio said. “A good carpenter doesn’t blame his tools. He’s got to find a way to get the job done and that’s my mindset.”
Conversely, a competent tradesman doesn’t dispense with a handy tool he may well require further down the line. Fangio must feel equal measures of good fortune and relief that Bausby has bounced back to the Broncos so quickly.
Nobody is under any illusions that reacquiring the former AAF journeyman will act as some sort of miracle cure for the 3-5 Broncos or that Bausby alone will revive Denver’s playoff chances. But based on the evidence of Sunday’s capitulations at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, he is most certainly an immediate upgrade over the current inexperienced group of backup corners.
Add in his locker room familiarity and Bausby’s own unique ability to deal with personal setbacks — among them a severe neck injury in 2019 that left him without feeling below the neck for 30 minutes — he provides exactly the kind of dog the Broncos should be delighted to have back in the building.
Follow Keith on Twitter @KeithC_NFL and @MileHighHuddle.
