What to expect from new Vikings cornerback Bashaud Breeland

The Bad

Too Many Penalties

The biggest knock on Bashaud Breeland is that he is among the league leaders in penalties for cornerbacks.

According to NFLPenalties.com, Breeland had 13 flags thrown against him in 2020, resulting in 10 accepted penalties for 108 yards, which was tied for the second-most in the league. To break that down, five penalties were for defensive pass interference, four were for defensive holding, two were for illegal use of the hands, one was for illegal contact, and another one was for unnecessary roughness.

To make this a little scarier, Breeland will be paired in the Vikings secondary with Patrick Peterson next season, who also had 10 penalties accepted against him in 2020 out of 14 total flags. Peterson’s 14 penalties led the league last season, with Breeland’s 13 coming in second, making the idea of this cornerback duo in Minnesota a little scary.

Although the experience will be amazing for the corners, the Vikings will need to keep their coverage cleaner if they want to be competitive against some of the top passing attacks the NFL has to offer.

A streaky defender who bounced around

Some games are hot and cold for Breeland. He can look like one of the top defenders in the league one week and struggle terribly the next. Strangely, it doesn’t seem to relate to the offensive he is matched up against, eighter.

Going on his fourth team in five seasons, If he can be a more consistent defender, Breeland could earn himself a monstrous contract or a more permanent place of employment following the 2021 season.