The Green Bay Packers made a few roster changes to the defensive side of the ball this week. Cornerback Kevin King was forced from the meeting against the Minnesota Vikings with a groin injury and the secondary has struggled since. He didn’t suit up for the week three loss to the Washington Redskins. Davon House filled in for King on the boundary and struggled throughout the first half. House had been dealing with a shoulder injury which will now require surgery. The Packers placed him on injured reserve Tuesday and brought several veteran cornerbacks in for tryouts. The Packers signed Bashaud Breeland to the veteran minimum in an underrated move that could strengthen this already promising group of cornerbacks.
Green Bay Packers Sign Bashaud Breeland to Bolster Secondary
Breeland’s Career Thus Far
The Redskins drafted Breeland in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Clemson. He became a staple of their cornerback rotation almost immediately. Breeland started all but one game as a rookie and finished with 66 tackles, 14 pass deflections, and two interceptions.
His promising season carried over to his sophomore year when he recorded a career-high in tackles with 81 and picked off another two passes. The Redskins signed cornerback Josh Norman to a lucrative free-agent deal in 2016, so teams began constantly targeting Breeland on the other side.
He has been somewhat of a boom or bust player on the boundary. He seems to always either get his hands on the ball or get burned for a long touchdown. The pros typically outweigh the cons as Breeland has averaged 15 pass deflections per year, started at least 14 games each season, and has eight total interceptions over his four years in the league.
An Odd Off-Season
Viewed as one of the most promising cornerbacks at the start of free agency, a failed physical kept him from signing a three-year, $24 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. A cut on his left heel required a skin graft and hindered him from latching on with another team. It’s surprising that a player of Breeland’s caliber and age (26) would still be available near the quarter mark of the regular season. The one-year deal with the Packers is far from the eight million annually he could have received from the Panthers. Still, Breeland should see ample snaps and be able to play himself into another large contract next off-season.
Place With the Pack
The loss of House and the injury to King leaves the Pack very thin at boundary cornerback. Veteran Tramon Williams has manned one side and played fairly well thus far. Rookies Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson have rotated between the outside and slot. Both have been effective blitzers from the inside but Jackson has the better build to play on the boundary. Alexander can get man-handled against larger receivers but has shown a knack for tracking the ball in the air.
Breeland has had success playing both positions over the course of his career but would be most effective on the outside for the Packers. Alexander could settle back into the slot and Jackson could rotate with Breeland on the outside or line up inside in dime packages. The best case scenario would be that King remains healthy and the team could rotate a strong stable of young playmakers behind him. If the shoulder injuries that have plagued him thus far in his career continue, there is a very good chance the Packers see significant snaps from Breeland.
