After two seasons with the Chiefs, Bashaud Breeland will return to the NFC North. The veteran cornerback agreed to a deal with the Vikings on Friday, according to the team.
The Bears showed interest in Breeland, who played for the Packers in 2018. But the seven-year veteran will instead become the latest in a run of Vikings free agent corner signings. Minnesota added Patrick Peterson and brought back Mackensie Alexander this offseason. Earlier this week, the Vikes signed Tye Smith. Breeland will bring extensive experience to the Vikings’ secondary.
Since a long-term Panthers pact fell through in 2018, the former second-round pick has settled for one-year agreements. This is likely another one-year deal, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweeting Breeland can earn up to $4MM on this accord. Breeland has signed one-year contracts worth $3MM (2020), $2MM (’19) and $880K (’18) since leaving Washington.
Breeland spent the past two seasons as a key contributor for Chiefs Super Bowl-qualifying teams. The 29-year-old defender has started 88 career games and will be the second-most experienced corner on Minnesota’s roster. Pro Football Focus graded Breeland as a midlevel corner in 2020, slotting him 57th at the position. But PFF has viewed Peterson as a declining player in this span, slotting the All-Decade corner lower in each of the past two seasons. Like Peterson, Breeland has worked as an outside corner in recent years.
This signing would seem to add to the uncertainty surrounding Jeff Gladney. The 2020 first-round pick was arrested on an assault charge in April. Given the ugly details of that arrest, a suspension is likely for the former high-end prospect. On their respective short-term contracts, Breeland and Peterson stand to provide both starter upside and insurance against a lengthy Gladney ban.
One of the most underrated corners.
PFF may have ranked Breeland the overall 57th corner last year, but I’ve read elsewhere that they ranked him their 18th best corner in coverage. Maybe it’s his tackling that needs some work (which he’ll get with Zimmer as the HC) or he draws too many penalties (like Rhodes used to when PFF dinged him for that while he was earning All-Pro accolades).
By the way, Breeland was a 4th round draft pick, not a 2nd rounder.
I don’t think it was that he drew too many penalties, it just seemed that the ones he got were at the worst possible times.
With that said, he is one of the most underrated CBs in the league.
Washed