When the Broncos face the Panthers on Sunday, they’ll be down their top three cornerbacks: Bryce Callahan, Essang Bassey and A.J. Bouye. 

Callahan was placed on the injured reserve Dec. 2 with a foot injury. Bassey suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Chiefs. And Bouye has officially been given a six-game suspension by the NFL for the use of performance enhancing drugs, it was announced Wednesday morning.

“I was disappointed for him,” said Fangio of Bouye’s suspension. “Players have to make really, really good judgments with the people they trust with their career and with their finances. Obviously something went wrong with this person he dealt with and trusted. It’s a disappointing situation for everybody.”

With only four games left this season, Callahan is the only one who could possibly return for the final two games as he’s required to sit out at least three when being placed on the IR. Callahan, Bouye and Bassey have combined to play 1,447 defensive snaps this season.

Rookie Michael Ojemudia, De’Vante Bausby, Kevin Tolliver II, Duke Dawson and Will Parks will likely all have a chance at playing for the Broncos at some point over the course of the final four games. Fangio said Wednesday that he expects Tolliver, Parks and Dawson to play at the nickel position where Bassey started most often. Bausby and Ojemudia are expected to be the starting corners. 

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Ojemudia, the Broncos’ third-round pick in 2020, has shown potential, starting in six of Denver’s first nine games. He has 37 tackles and five pass breakups. According to Pro Football Focus, he’s allowed 36 receptions with a 64.3 completion percentage when he’s in coverage — the fourth lowest on the team, behind only Bouye (63.9), Bausby (55.6) and Callahan (53.8). But Ojemudia has also given up four touchdown passes and is allowing 14.8 yards per reception, which are both the highest among Denver’s corners. 

But with the Broncos sitting at 4-8 and having a less than 1 percent chance of making the playoffs according to FiveThirtyEight, the bigger question is this: What will the Broncos do in 2021 at corner?

Ojemudia appears to be a part of the future, though, that could change depending on these final four games. Callahan isn’t an unrestricted free agent in 2022, but it would seem he’s someone the Broncos want back next season considering how well he played before his injury. And then there’s Bouye, who the Broncos had hoped could be a star corner for them this season when they traded a fourth-round pick to Jacksonville for him. 

But Bouye hasn’t been that for the Broncos, missing five games early in the season due to injury and missing the final four due to suspension. Bouye is making $13.4 million this season. 

“He did have a choppy season,” Fangio said. “I think the injuries played a part in that. I think he got hurt in the first half of the first game and then five or six games, came back, got hurt during that game, missed the following game and thought these last couple of games he was starting to play better. So, we’ll just have to see. But it was a rough season for him with the injuries interrupting his availability and play and now having to deal with the PED suspension.”

While Bouye also isn’t an unrestricted free agent until 2022, what makes his future with the organization uncertain is that his contract has no guarantees left in 2021 in which he’s set to make $13.5 million, according to Spotrac. This means if Ojemudia can prove himself as a starting corner in the final four games and the Broncos continue to believe in Callahan — who is approximately $5 million cheaper than Bouye in 2021 —Bouye’s future is uncertain. 

Denver is also expected to consider drafting a corner in the first round of this year’s draft, considering the lack of depth it has. And with a heavy cornerback draft that includes Ohio State’s Shaun Wade, Alabama’s Patrick Surtain II, Clemson’s Derion Kendrick and Virginia Tech’s Caleb Farley, it might be wise of the Broncos to head in that direction — with or without Bouye.