After two seasons with the Chiefs, Bashaud Breeland has resided on the free agent market for more than two months. A landing spot appears to have emerged for the longtime starter, however.
The Bears are interested in the seven-year veteran, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago cut both Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine this offseason and could potentially use another experienced cover man, having not addressed the position in the draft until Round 6.
Varying messages have come out of Bears headquarters about their cornerback position. They have been linked to interest in fellow ex-Chief Steven Nelson, who played with Kansas City during Matt Nagy‘s time there, while new DC Sean Desai said the team would not necessarily need to add any additional help at the position. With multiple corners on the radar, however, it does appear the Bears are looking for more coverage aid.
A former Washington second-round pick, Breeland started for both the Chiefs’ AFC champion teams. He played 16 games in 2019 and returned from a September suspension to reclaim his starting role last season. The 29-year-old corner has intercepted two passes in each of the past three seasons; he spent 2018 in Green Bay.
Despite being first eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2018, Breeland has yet to land a long-term deal. He agreed to terms with the Panthers on a three-year deal in 2018, but a failed physical led Carolina to nix the pact. But Breeland has remained a first-stringer on this year-to-year career track, having started 88 career games. Pro Football Focus graded the veteran as a midlevel corner in 2020, slotting him 57th at the position.
Chicago did add Desmond Trufant this offseason, but the former Atlanta No. 1 corner has missed 17 games over the past two seasons. Breeland would profile as competition and a potential upgrade opposite Jaylon Johnson. The Bears would need to free up some cap room, perhaps via the restructure route, to sign Breeland. The team has barely $200K in cap space and has not completed its draft class signings.
Breeland would be a great addition. Truffant and an assortment of cast offs and mid round kids leaves too big a hole.
…and if they just had a solid LT in case the Teven Jenkins experiment doesn’t work out.
Breeland was pretty good in Washington, and almost parlayed that into a good contract with Carolina, which would have been perfect for both parties. However, his foot injury negated that deal. It was easy to see why later on. I know he got good grades for his last year in KC, but watching him, Breeland seems to have lost significant speed and relies entirely too much on contact to slow his receiver. I recall seeing quite a few plays that could have been holds or P.I. when he played. That said, he does have a knack for timely interceptions, so there is an intelligence or at least anticipation to his decision making and where he tries to play his man. Honestly though I am not so sure that he is still a starting corner in this league, especially on the boundary against faster receivers.