Following an abysmal start to the 2021 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings need to re-evaulate Bashaud Breeland’s role with the team, or find a replacement.
After the first quarter of the 2021 NFL season, the Minnesota Vikings are sitting with a displeasing record of 1-3.
To their credit, the Vikings stayed competitive throughout each game. They dropped their first two games of the year by a combined total of merely four points, and temporarily rebounded with a win over the Seattle Seahawks at home.
However, despite each of Minnesota’s losses being decided by only one score, they still have some glaring issues that need to be addressed immediately if they plan on making a return to the postseason.
One of these key issues lies in the secondary unit.
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland is having a very rough start to his eighth NFL season. The veteran defender is Pro Football Focus’ lowest-ranked starting cornerback in the league with a grade of 32.0.
Minnesota Vikings need to find a way to rejuvenate the secondary unit with Bashaud Breeland putting up weekly underwhelming performances
When Breeland was signed in the offseason, expectations began to rise rapidly. Unforeseen regression from Cameron Dantzler and Jeff Gladney getting indicted on a felony domestic violence charge cast a cloud over the cornerback group.
Breeland came over from the Kansas City Chiefs, and the hope was that his playoff experience with the perennial Super Bowl contenders would provide the lackluster secondary with the boost needed to make a deep playoff run.
He has struggled noticeably through each of the games he’s played in and has become a focal point for opposing teams to target through the air.
Across the first four games, Breeland has allowed an 84.6 percent pass completion rate that translates to a passer rating of 154.2 when targeted.
In the game against the Cincinnati Bengals, rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase ran straight past him for a 50-yard touchdown, the first of his professional career.
When facing the Arizona Cardinals, Breeland gave up a lot of cushion to wide receiver A. J. Green in the red zone, allowing the 33-year-old veteran to catch a quick pass and run by him for an easy score.
Breeland has not lived up to his expectations, and he has proven to be one of the defense’s biggest concerns each week.
With many people clearly seeing something needs to be done to rejuvenate Minnesota’s secondary, recent transactions from across the league are reflecting very poorly on the the Vikings.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers addressed their secondary woes by signing veteran free agent cornerback Richard Sherman.
The Carolina Panthers executed two trades to bring over two cornerbacks from the New England Patriots and the Jacksonville Jaguars, former Defensive Player of the Year, Stephon Gilmore, and last year’s ninth overall draft pick, CJ Henderson.
The cost for two defenders with high upside? A third round pick, sixth rounder and a tight end that didn’t have a prominent role in the game plan.
The Vikings most recent trade for tight end Chris Herndon from the New York Jets cost them a fourth rounder in next year’s draft. Herndon has not made a notable impact this season.
If opposing quarterbacks plan to continue avoiding throwing Patrick Peterson’s way, Breeland will need to tighten up his pass coverage, or he can expect to continue getting picked on every week.
If this is the case, Minnesota needs to make immediate changes to the roster or depth chart to change the course of their season, or there will be an increased chance that they will be making changes to the coaching staff or front office in the near future.