Kansas City Chiefs named as best landing spot for Bashaud Breeland

One columnist at Bleacher Report believes the Kansas City Chiefs are the best landing spot for free agent cornerback Bashaud Breeland.

Despite the fact that the first wave of free agency has long since past and that several more waves have come and gone, there are still plenty of nice free agents left for teams who need to fill various holes, especially on defense. Nearly all of the top safeties are still available who were around in March, and guys like Johnathan Hankins can still plug a major hole along a defensive front.

Justis Mosqueda from Bleacher Report recently penned a column taking a stab at the best landing spot for eight of the best remaining free agents in football. When it came to former Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, the Kansas City Chiefs were named as the ideal home. Mosqueda writes:

"When healthy, Breeland could be a No. 2 cornerback with the Chiefs. He could line up against No. 1 receivers in crucial situations to put Fuller in the slot, where he is better than just about anyone in the league. Everything will come back to Breeland’s physical, though."

There are a few factors in play here that make Mosqueda’s attempt to connect the dots a decent one:

1. Unless you are wearing rose-colored glasses, the Chiefs look woefully thin in terms of dependable talent at cornerback right now. And that’s on paper.
2. The real world will thin out what’s already a limited corps due to injuries, both minor and major, as well as fatigue, scheme fit, etc. In short, if it’s thin on paper, it’s very thin on the field.
3. Breeland might be a financial fit for the Chiefs after all if his price comes down from his original deal.
4. Breeland’s experience on the outside might allow every player to play to their strengths.

Let’s break all of this down in more detail:

Thin talent

In terms of talent, the Chiefs are banking heavily on one player to build on his breakout year, another player to rebound to years gone by and a holdover slot corner to hold up as the top three corners on the roster. From there, it’s all late round rookies and fringe roster additions.

Kendall Fuller looked incredible last year as a slot corner for Washington in his second season, and could be poised to become a Pro Bowl player in 2018. But the Chiefs might also need him to move outside in order to fill the void left in the Marcus Peters trade. And even then, he’s learning a new scheme on a new team under a new set of coaches. The leap is huge from promising young nickel corner to shutdown corner in a new environment.

David Amerson is in Kansas City on a prove-it deal after the Oakland Raiders released him—a team that could use some help in the secondary themselves. Amerson looked nice in 2015, signed an extension in 2016 and then injuries and inconsistency took over to the point where Oakland cut him loose. Still only 26-years-old, Brett Veach is betting on a bounce back. Decent bet? Yes. Sure thing? Absolutely not.

Steven Nelson is returning as the lone holdover among the Chiefs cornerbacks who received significant playing time last year. He’s in a contact year and looked stronger as the year wore on. Then again, Nelson doesn’t have a single interception to his name after three years in the league. Nelson also missed 7 games last year due to injury. Again he’s a nice option, but there has to be a foundational player somewhere.

Financial fit

Breeland was signed by the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason to a three-year deal for $24 million (an $8M average). That deal was never made official, however, because Breeland did not pass his physical. An infection in a cut on his foot was to blame and rumors persisted that it would take a few months to heal. Hence the reason that Breeland is still technically a free agent.

Will Breeland still make $8M per year when all is said and done? If he gets cheaper, then it’s possible the Chiefs could come into view. The Chiefs have just over $8 million in cap space right now, but any multi-year deal could be structured to go light on the cap this year. Then again, the Panthers might be right there waiting when he’s able to pass the physical and other teams have also expressed interest.

Outside experience

Breeland was a starter for Washington from early in his rookie season four years ago, so he comes with 58 total starts in four seasons as a free agent. That’s a real gift for a player who is still only 26. He’s forced 15 turnovers in that time along with 59 passes defended, so it’s also clear that he knows how to be a disruptive player in the secondary.

Even more importantly is that he knows how to play outside. Nelson has largely played inside for the Chiefs over the last few years, and Fuller excelled for Washington in the slot. As of now, the Chiefs will force at least one player to relocate unless they make a move. In addition, Breeland’s experience next to Fuller could be a nice bonus in the pass defense.