When the Broncos acquired cornerback A.J. Bouye from the Jaguars and inherited his $13 million salary earlier this offseason, it became apparent that Denver was not planning to re-sign cornerback Chris Harris.
Bouye was brought in to replace Harris, a four-time Pro Bowler who helped the Broncos win Super Bowl 50 in 2015. During a Zoom conference call with reporters on Thursday, Bouye was asked if he feels pressure replacing Harris as the team’s new No. 1 cornerback.
“No, I don’t look at it as pressure,” Bouye said. “Me and Chris have a great relationship. That’s a guy that took me in when I first came into the league. That’s when we had the same agent. I’m close with his family. They’re great people. Honestly, when I was studying Chris a lot, especially early in the league, I always watched him on the inside, but I don’t really play on the inside. This was the first time [last season] I really got to see him play on the outside, and I liked everything that I saw.”
Bouye said he has studied and learned from Harris’ film but he’s not going to compare himself to the former Denver cornerback.
“I don’t really listen to the outside noise and comparisons because, at the end of the day, it’s a new year,” Bouye said. “It’s a new football year. I have to focus on what I have to do to be the best. I can’t focus on trying to live up to someone else who’s not even here anymore.”
Bouye has totaled 310 tackles, 14 interceptions and 66 pass breakups in his career so far. Bouye will serve as the Broncos’ top cornerback this season and Bryce Callahan (if he’s healthy) will likely serve as the No. 2 cornerback. Denver will need them to step up in Harris’ absence.
