Bashaud Breeland - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Keim, Cardinals, Breeland, Colts, Beal, Giants, Mayfield, Browns

July 30th, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Steve Keim became the rare GM to be suspended when the team announced his punishment for his “severe DUI” arrest from earlier this month. Speaking to the media, team president Michael Bidwill shined a light on how the team will proceed with out Keim, who is banned for the next five weeks and not allowed to have any contact with the team. Although the suspension was announced as five weeks, along with a $200k fine, “Bidwill made it clear that Keim won’t return that soon unless he meets other requirements, including counseling” according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.

Bidwill was highly critical of Keim’s actions, saying flatly “there is no excuse to drink and drive.” Despite his harsh words, Bidwill indicated the team is still Keim’s to run when he returns and that they will be operating under his vision during his absence. While he conceded that training camp is “obviously not a great time to not have your general manager”, Bidwill insisted there won’t be any “drop-off here with his absence.” He said the team’s recent signing of safety Tre Boston, along with their other recent moves, were all made with the belief that they’re what Keim would’ve wanted.

Here’s more from around the league:

Free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland visited the Colts recently, but the team is unlikely to sign him according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). Holder says there’s “no indication that Bashaud Breeland will land in Indianapolis” and that his “sense is they’ll stand pat with the group of corners they have”, adding he’d be “surprised” if the team ends up bringing in Breeland.
Injured rookie cornerback Sam Beal will not be able to return this season notes Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. If the Giants had wanted to have Beal eligible for one of their IR/return slots, they would’ve needed to wait until their roster was down to 53-men to place him on inured reserve. The third round supplemental draft pick will redshirt his rookie year and look to return strong in 2019.
Browns coach Hue Jackson acknowledged that number one overall pick Baker Mayfield has “exceeded expectations” so far in camp, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Kay Cabot notes that Mayfield “has yet to throw a pick in camp.” Jackson has insisted all along that Tyrod Taylor will be his starter, but it sounds like Mayfield could be pushing for the job sooner rather than later.

New York Notes: Darnold, Breeland, OBJ, Apple

July 29th, 2018 at 1:05pm CST by Rory Parks

In the wake of Elijah McGuire‘s broken foot, the Jets signed RB George Atkinson III earlier today. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the team’s first choice was Alfred Morris, who obviously comes with considerably more experience than Atkinson (Gang Green brought Morris in for a visit yesterday). Rapoport says the two sides could not come together on contract terms, so Morris remains a free agent and Atkinson is now a Jet.

Now for more notes from the two clubs who call the Meadowlands home:

The Jets still have interest in free agent CB Bashaud Breeland, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson (via Twitter). There’s still no word on whether Breeland will visit with Gang Green, but a number of clubs are interested in his services. Breeland remains undecided for the time being.
Just yesterday, we heard that offset language was no longer the issue holding up contract negotiations between the Jets and rookie QB Sam Darnold. Instead, the latest reports suggested that how and when the guarantees in Darnold’s contract could void is the real sticking point. But Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says offset language and the guaranteed money issue are still matters that need to be resolved. Cimini does not think that the holdout will get as bad as the infamous Joey Bosa/Chargers standoff several years ago, but Darnold is in a different situation because he is a quarterback, not a defensive lineman. Every practice he misses is critical, and while there are not enough details to know which party is in the “right” in this case — though Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News opines that Darnold’s agent’s stance with respect to the offset language is ridiculous and selfish — this is fast becoming a lose-lose situation for player and team.
Odell Beckham Jr. has excelled in Giants training camp thus far, and he looks committed and healthy, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Raanan ends his tweet with an emphatic, “pay the man.”
Though it’s obviously still early in training camp, the Giants‘ offensive line has left much to be desired in summer practices thus far, as Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com writes. Dunleavy lists a few OL free agents that Big Blue might consider bringing in, and he also names Denzelle Good, who is currently fighting for a starting job with the Colts, as an interesting trade candidate.
After two seasons as a backup cornerback with the Titans, Curtis Riley saw an opportunity to start at free safety with the Giants, which encouraged him to sign with Big Blue in March. Thus far, his conversion to safety is going swimmingly, and Greg Joyce of the New York Post writes that Riley has a legitimate chance to win the starting FS job.
Giants CB Eli Apple‘s maturity issues and lack of effort have gotten him into plenty of hot water with his teammates and coaches during his first two seasons in the pros, but new head coach Pat Shurmur is impressed with Apple’s attitude and his play thus far. Shurmur said, via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, “I’m seeing a guy that’s all about his business. He’s very businesslike. And he’s covering really well, a really good attribute for a corner. I like the way he’s working. He’s out there challenging, but he’s also being smart. And I like the way he’s functioning in the building. Very attentive in meetings. In my mind, and based on what I’ve seen, he’s acting like a pro.”

CB Bashaud Breeland Visiting Ravens

July 28th, 2018 at 11:33am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Ravens have gotten their desired meeting with free agent Bashaud Breeland. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the defensive back is at the Ravens’ facility to take a physical and meet with team officials.

While this could eventually lead to a contract, Zrebiec admits that he is “not sure where the negotiations stand.” We heard yesterday that the Ravens were “getting more aggressive” in their pursuit of Breeland.

As the writer notes in a follow-up tweet, cornerback appears to be one of the Ravens’ strongest positions at the moment, and it’s uncertain if the talented Breeland would be interested in a presumable backup role. The team is currently rostering Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey, Tavon Young, Maurice Canady, fourth-rounder Anthony Averett, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Jaylen Hill, and Bennett Jackson, a grouping that could be considered one of the best in the NFL. Zrebiec also observes that Smith, Young, and Canady are all coming off injures/surgeries, perhaps indicating that team has some concerns about their recoveries.

The 26-year-old is one of the top defenders still on the market, and he’s garnered previous interest from the Jets, Raiders, Chiefs, Browns and Colts. Breeland had spent his entire four-year career with the Redskins, missing only four regular season games during his tenure. The former fourth-rounder had another productive season in 2017, finishing with 50 tackles, 19 passes defended, and one pick-six.

Ravens, Jets Pursuing Bashaud Breeland

July 27th, 2018 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are “getting more aggressive” with their interest in free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). Breeland is visiting the Browns on Friday afternoon, but the Ravens are pushing to meet with him on Friday night.

Meanwhile, the Jets have also entered the fray, Anderson hears. There’s no visit currently scheduled with Gang Green, but the Jets have expressed interest throughout the week.

Breeland is among the best defenders left on the free agent market at this juncture. He was originally set to join the Panthers on a three-year deal in March, but a failed physical voided the contract. Now that he’s finally healthy, Breeland has picked up interest from a number of teams, including the Raiders, Chiefs, Browns and Colts. Breeland’s visit with the Chiefs was particularly lengthy, but he left KC without a contract.

The Ravens project to start Brandon Carr and Jimmy Smith at cornerback with support from 2017 first-round pick Marlon Humphrey and fourth-round rookie Anthony Averett. The Jets, meanwhile, have Trumaine Johnson, Morris Claiborne, and Buster Skrine as their top three corners. Neither team is necessarily desperate for cornerback help, but any club in the league would welcome a talent like Breeland at the right price.

Bashaud Breeland Leaves Chiefs Without Deal

July 25th, 2018 at 8:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bashaud Breeland took a lengthy visit with the Chiefs earlier today, during which he not only met with the club for hours, but watched Kansas City’s defensive backs go through drills. But the free agent cornerback has now left the Chiefs without a contract in place, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds Breeland has not still not ruled out signing with Kansas City at some point.

While Breeland doesn’t yet have a contract in hand, he’s among the best defenders still available on the free agent market. The 26-year-old originally signed a three-year, $24MM deal with the Panthers at the outset of free agency, but Carolina voided the pact after an off-field foot injury forced a failed Breeland physical.

Since then, he’s been linked to numerous teams, but he’s also left a meeting with the Raiders without a deal in place. Next up, Breeland is reportedly set to meet with both the Browns and Colts. At this point, it’s unclear as to the holdup on Breeland finding a new club, but his foot issue is surely being checked by team medical officials.

Breeland was originally a fourth-round Redskins pick in 2014 draft. A Clemson product, Breeland has been a starter from day one, totaling eight interceptions in 58 starts during his four-year career. Last season, Pro Football Focus ranked Breeland as the No. 50 cornerback among 121 qualifiers.

Chiefs Meet With CB Bashaud Breeland

July 25th, 2018 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Bashaud Breeland is visiting the Chiefs, but it sounds more serious than the usual meet-and-greet for free agents. Breeland has spent hours at the Chiefs’ Wednesday practice and is watching the club’s defensive backs go through drills, ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher tweets. Still, the team insists that no deal is in place just yet.

Breeland recently left his Raiders visit without a contract and was said to have meetings scheduled with the Colts and Browns. Right now, it seems likely that all three teams will be left out in the cold.

This has been a strange offseason for Breeland, to say the least. After finishing up his rookie deal with the Redskins, he inked a three-year, $24MM free agent deal with the Panthers. However, the Panthers bailed on the deal after learning of Breeland’s off-the-field foot injury. Since then, several teams have shown interest, but his market stalled while he worked his way back to full health.

The Chiefs’ cornerback group has changed radically since last year, so Breeland would not be the only fresh face in KC. Terrance Mitchell, Ron Parker, Kenneth Acker, and Phillip Gaines all landed elsewhere while free agent Darrelle Revis announced his retirement earlier this week. The Chiefs will start Kendall Fuller and David Amerson at the outside corner spots with help from Steven Nelson and others. If signed, Breeland figures to see plenty of playing time, even if he’s not an every-game starter.

Bashaud Breeland To Visit Colts, Browns

July 23rd, 2018 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bashaud Breeland recently left his Raiders visit without a contract, and it’s becoming clearer why he’s interested in seeing what else is out there.

Because in addition to a Chiefs visit scheduled for Tuesday, both the Colts and Browns have scheduled meetings with the free agent cornerback for this week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.

Should the four-year veteran indeed take all of these visits, it will add up to a six-city tour over a five-month period this offseason. He agreed to a deal with the Panthers for three years and $24MM, but a foot injury nixed that. The Cardinals then went in a different direction, a Jamar Taylor trade, following their meeting with Breeland.

This, however, would mark the second time Breeland will have met with the Colts this year. Indianapolis brought him in for a May meeting, but that appeared to be more of an exploratory powwow. Now, it would seem the Colts would be more interested in an agreement. The Colts have kept tabs on Breeland since, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports (on Twitter), but he still doesn’t envision a signing.

The Colts lost Rashaan Melvin to the Raiders in free agency and did not make a notable investment at this position this offseason. They have second-year second-rounder Quincy Wilson tabbed to start on one side. Former UDFA Kenny Moore made five starts last season as well. A 2017 fifth-rounder, Nate Hairston is in the mix, and Indy also has veteran Pierre Desir coming to camp. Breeland has started more games (58) than the Colts’ current corners have combined.

Cleveland, meanwhile, has overhauled its cornerback contingent this year. Denzel Ward, T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines and Terrance Mitchell join incumbents Briean Boddy-Calhoun and Mike Jordan. Howard Wilson, a fourth-rounder last year, is set to miss another full season due to injury. The Browns also drafted Louisiana-Lafayette’s Simeon Thomas in Round 6.

The Browns, however, were interested in Breeland prior to his foot injury in March. And with the former second-rounder still being available as training camps commence, he probably won’t cost as much as he would have then. However, the latest entrants into the Breeland derby have money to spend. The Browns (with an NFL-most $69MM in cap space) obviously don’t lack for available funds. The Colts sit second with $50MM-plus.

Bashaud Breeland Leaves Raiders Visit Without Deal

July 23rd, 2018 at 6:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the third cycle of Bashaud Breeland‘s free agency, the Raiders secured the first visit. They brought the UFA cornerback in on Sunday and continued to meet with the former Redskins starter Monday, but Breeland left the facility without a deal, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets.

This would mean a fourth visit will come to pass for the fifth-year defender. The Chiefs secured a meeting with Breeland for Tuesday, and it looks like he’s intent on surveying his options.

Breeland’s started 58 games since the Redskins made him a second-round pick in 2014 and is one of the top available players on the market. He initially agreed to a three-year, $24MM deal with the Panthers, but an offseason foot injury nixed the pact. The Cardinals then hosted Breeland once he healed up but went in another direction.

Breeland spent four years playing for a Jay Gruden-coached team, so a landing with one now led by Jon Gruden would have certainly been unique. The Raiders still are flanking Gareon Conley with a host of veteran corners, having signed Rashaan Melvin, Shareece Wright and Leon Hall this offseason.

The Chiefs hold just more than $7MM in cap space compared to the Raiders’ $2MM-plus. Interestingly, Eli Rogers just left his Chiefs visit without a deal. While his next stop is Cleveland, the slot receiver also has a meeting in Oakland scheduled for this week.

Bashaud Breeland To Visit Raiders, Chiefs

July 21st, 2018 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Four-year Redskins starter Bashaud Breeland remains on the market, despite having agreed to an $8MM-per-year deal with the Panthers months ago. But the fifth-year cornerback has surmounted the foot injury that scuttled that agreement and is going to see what the pre-training camp market looks like.

Breeland will visit the Raiders and Chiefs next week, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll head to Oakland on Sunday, with Demovsky adding that visit is slated to go into Monday as well, and is scheduled to trek to Kansas City on Tuesday.

Following his recovery from an offseason foot injury, Breeland also visited the Cardinals. But Arizona subsequently traded for Jamar Taylor, who is now in line to start opposite Patrick Peterson. The parties moved on, but the 26-year-old defender has an obvious connection in Oakland.

With Breeland (Pro Football Focus’ No. 54 corner in 2017) having played for Jay Gruden for four seasons, it’s likely Jon Gruden will have good information about the corner. The former Washington second-round pick started 58 games during his Redskins run. The Raiders moved on from their Sean Smith/David Amerson tandem this offseason but have Gareon Conley now healthy and added veterans Rashaan Melvin, Shareece Wright and Leon Hall. Breeland is younger than each of those offseason signees and would add to a crowded competition of experienced performers.

Kansas City signed Amerson but has a glaring vacancy at outside corner. The Chiefs traded Marcus Peters for what was not considered to be strong value and doesn’t have an obvious replacement for the All-Pro. Former Breeland teammate Kendall Fuller is now expected to start as one of the Chiefs’ outside corners, but he thrived in 2017 as a slot stopper. It’s possible Kansas City uses Fuller like Denver deploys Chris Harris — as an outside man in base sets and in the slot in sub-packages — but it remains to be seen how the Chiefs will use Fuller.

The team is also moving Steven Nelson from the slot spot to an outside role as well, but Breeland would look to have a better shot at surefire playing time in western Missouri than in the Bay Area due to Peters’ departure.

Interestingly, the AFC West rivals also could be battling for another notable UFA, with each slated to meet with former Steelers wideout Eli Rogers.

The Best Remaining NFL Free Agents

June 20th, 2018 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

There are still plenty of impact free agents left on the board, including some big names. Here’s a look at some of the high-profile veterans that are still looking for work in advance of training camp:

Kaepernick probably stands as the most talented quarterback left on the open market, but his ongoing collusion case against the NFL complicated matters. It seems unlikely that he’ll land anywhere between now and the start of the season, but friend and former teammate Eric Reid probably has a better chance of signing somewhere, despite being in a similar boat. Recently, the duo was spotted working out together in California.

It seems like just yesterday that Murray was the league’s most fearsome running back. Unfortunately, Murray’s age has caught up to him to some extent and he was overshadowed last year in Tennessee by the younger Derrick Henry. The Titans dropped Murray in March and he has not found a new NFL home despite meeting with the Lions, Seahawks, and Dolphins since his release. Recently, the Saints tried to include Murray in their cattle call for running backs, but he declined the invite.

Peterson has lobbied the Texans, Saints, Packers, Panthers, Dolphins, and Rams to sign him, but we have yet to hear of any reciprocated interest from those clubs. It’s possible that Murray and Peterson won’t sign unless a running back injury opens up an opportunity for them. Teams could also steer clear of Peterson altogether given his desire for a starring role despite his lack of star performance over the last two years.

Bryant is the biggest name on this list, but we shouldn’t expect to see him sign anywhere until July. There have been conflicting reports on his market, but the latest word indicates that he is receiving interest, despite concerns about his demeanor in the locker room.