The Chicago Bears placed their primary focus on improving the offense these past few months. Nobody is going to criticize them for doing so. That side of the ball has consistently been the worse of the two for years. Adding help at quarterback, the offensive line, and wide receiver was the correct approach. Still, much of their work did come with a cost on the defensive side of the ball.
Nowhere was it more deeply felt than at cornerback. Under a difficult salary cap crunch, the Bears were forced to part way with two of their starters from last year. Both Kyle Fuller and Buster Skrine were released. This leaves only Jaylon Johnson as the last remaining starter from 2020. Chicago has tried to beef up the position since, adding veteran Desmond Trufant and Thomas Graham Jr. in the draft. It would appear though they aren’t entirely comfortable with the position. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune has more.
“An NFL source said the Bears have expressed interest in free agent Bashaud Breeland, one of a small group of experienced cornerbacks remaining on the market. Previously, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler listed the Bears as one of a large group of teams that were a possibility for Steven Nelson.
Richard Sherman remains on the market but he likely is going to be more expensive than the cap-strapped Bears can afford and he could be looking to join a clear contender.”
This is a noteworthy development.
Breeland isn’t what one would call a star but he’s proven himself to be a solid cornerback the past few years. Last season was a perfect example with two interceptions and nine passes defended. Quarterbacks had just a 78.3 passer rating when targeting him in coverage. He isn’t flashy but he is more than reliable. Something the Bears no doubt would much like to have given the health concerns surrounding both Trufant and Johnson.
Trufant missed 17 games combined the past two years with various injuries. Johnson failed to finish last season because of a shoulder problem. Something that has dogged him since college. This is likely a driving force behind their interest not only in Breeland but Steven Nelson as well. Both are solid players but also have more dependable track records when it comes to health.
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Are the Chicago Bears exploiting a connection?
Though Breeland has played the past couple of years in Kansas City, he has no ties to Matt Nagy. Instead, the name that could mean a lot in this pursuit is Mike Pettine. Remember the Bears hired the veteran defensive coach as a senior assistant this offseason. Prior to that, he’d been the defensive coordinator for the Green Bay Packers from 2018 to 2020. Breeland played for the Packers in ’18 and had two interceptions in seven games. Unfortunately, his year was hampered by hamstring and groin problems.
Pettine might be able to sell the cornerback on what the team is trying to build under new coordinator Sean Desai. A Vic Fangio-style system that is known for making great use of its secondary. That would no doubt sound appealing. As always though, it comes down to money. Right now the Chicago Bears are squeezed right up against the salary cap. So no deal can happen right now. It’s possible they might be waiting for June 1st when the release of left tackle Charles Leno becomes official.
That would yield $9 million in space. More than enough to work a deal.
Will Breeland wait that long? Reports are he has other teams interested in his services. Not the least of which is the Minnesota Vikings. So it will be a challenge for GM Ryan Pace. If he were to pull it off though, the Bears’ secondary would be in much better shape moving forward. A nice mix of proven veterans and promising youngsters.