The Minnesota Vikings made a surprising move on Saturday, December 18, waiving starting cornerback Bashaud Breeland.
Breeland, who signed with the Vikings last offseason on a one-year deal, was listed as questionable for Monday’s primetime Week 15 matchup against the Chicago Bears for a non-injury-related reason, per coach Mike Zimmer.
But after Breeland got into a “verbal altercation” with coaches and teammates on Saturday, it was “too much to come back from,” NFL insider Tom Pelissero reported.
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Breeland Takes Off Cleats in Altercation
An hour after the Vikings announced Breeland would be waived, Pelissero revealed that Breeland got into an incident at practice that sealed his fate with the Vikings.
“The #Vikings waived starting CB Bashaud Breeland after he got into a verbal altercation today at practice with coaches, took off his cleats and got into it with multiple teammates who were trying to calm the situation, sources tell me and (Ian Rapoport). Too much to come back from,” Pelissero tweeted.
Breeland’s future in Minnesota seemed bleak between the feud at practice, poor performance on the field, and issues off the turf.
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Unflattering Public Image
On Saturday, Star Tribune reporter Ben Goessling reported that Breeland is also subject of a civil lawsuit filed in October, “brought by neighboring tenants who claimed Breeland ‘and his several guests have been smoking cannabis,’ and the apartment would not ‘disrupt’ Breeland ‘solely due to the fact he is a Minnesota Vikings football player.’ ”
“Breeland has a court hearing scheduled for January 11, but his name did not show up in Hennepin or Dakota County arrest records, and the $15,000 lawsuit was filed months ago,” Goessling added, via Twitter.
The suit is among several outside factors that played a role in Breeland’s release. Another was a Twitter tirade after the Vikings’ 19-17 win over the Detroit Lions on October 10.
Breeland posted a NSFW tweet after the game, bashing fans for booing him and venting their frustrations with his play after committing a costly penalty.
Breeland was not publicly reprimanded for his tweet, but his behavior has been noted throughout the season leading up to his release.
Next Man Up
The Vikings’ secondary has been the bane of the team’s success this season, but Breeland’s departure leaves questions at cornerback.
Breeland entered Week 15 ranked 117th out of 120 graded cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus (PFF) this season.
Second-year cornerback Cameron Dantzler, ranked 41st in limited action this season, slots into the starting lineup opposite of veteran Patrick Peterson, ranked 71st of 120 cornerbacks. Mackensie Alexander, ranked 119th, remains the starting nickel cornerback, while Harrison Hand is currently the fourth and only option beyond the starting trio.
While Breeland’s release came as a surprise, the move may have been on the horizon for the Vikings.
Minnesota protected practice-squad cornerback Tye Smith earlier this week. Smith could see an activation on the 53-man roster in time for Monday’s NFC North tilt.
The Vikings also have veteran Parry Nickerson on the practice squad. Nickerson has played three games this season on special teams, while Smith has played special teams in two games.
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Vikings Release Starting CB After ‘Verbal Altercation’ at Practice: Report