Reports: Bashaud Breeland visiting Colts, Cardinals in coming days

Bashaud Breeland has remained on the market since his voided physical with the Carolina Panthers. Now, the former Washington Redskins corner appears ready to sign.

For a time in March, it seemed that Bashaud Breeland was one of the top cornerbacks on the open market. Still only 26, Breeland had an inconsistent four years with the Washington Redskins, but he flashed the potential to be a high-level No. 2 cornerback. He put that ability on display in 2017, and it was expected that he would get a nice payday on the open market.

And at first, Breeland did. Shortly into free agency, Breeland inked a three year, $24 million deal to join the Carolina Panthers. There, he was expected to serve as the No. 2 corner across from the more physical James Bradberry. Together, they would have formed a solid duo with differing skill sets to improve the team’s defensive backfield.

However, Breeland’s deal was voided after it was revealed that he had suffered a foot injury in the offseason. It wasn’t a major deal, but it did make it so he couldn’t pass the team’s physical. Because of this, Breeland remained on the free agent market and seemed set to stay there until his foot healed.

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Now, two months later and after the 2018 NFL Draft, interest in Breeland is picking up on a league-wide scale. Per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Breeland has visits scheduled with the Colts and the Cardinals in upcoming days, and he updated on Breeland’s injury as well.

This is obviously good news for Breeland, and it was expected that he would eventually be given a chance to sign. And both the Colts and the Cardinals offer strong opportunities for Breeland to get playing time and be a top-flight No. 2 corner.

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The Colts seem like the best opportunity for Breeland to have a chance to establish himself as a great starter. Indianapolis needs cornerback help after losing Rashaan Melvin to free agency. Additionally, they didn’t add corner help in the draft, so they could stand to add more help at the position.

Plugging in Breeland would be a nice move for the Colts. They could play him across from 2017 second rounder Quincy Wilson and the two young players would have a chance to develop into a good cornerback tandem. This possibility was part of why I projected Breeland to land with the Colts following the 2017 season, so the fit is still sensible.

As for the Cardinals, they too are a sensible landing spot, and may even be better than the Colts. Breeland would instantly be an upgrade over Brandon Williams across from Patrick Peterson, and having Breeland would give the Cardinals the complementary corner they have been lacking since the departure of Tyrann Mathieu and Tramon Williams this offseason.

The only negative of going to Arizona would be that Breeland may get targeted significantly more. Teams often look to avoid Peterson, so Breeland could see a lot more passes come his way. However, this is a double-edged sword, as it means that Breeland can have more safety help over the top. So, this factor may not drive Breeland, but it is certainly something to keep an eye on.

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Either way, Breeland is not returning to the Redskins. They never really wanted him back and opted to go with Quinton Dunbar as their veteran option for now. With young talent like Fabian Moreau, Greg Stroman, and Joshua Holsey also on the roster, seeing Breeland return makes little sense. So while the team is losing a potentially talented player, they have ample replacement options for him.