Breeland seeks fresh start with Packers
GREEN BAY – One moment, Bashaud Breeland felt he was headed home with $24 million in hand. The next, he was sitting in a doctor’s office with nothing.
The South Carolina native and Clemson University alumnus had agreed to a three-year deal with the Carolina Panthers as one of the top free-agent cornerbacks on the market, but a golf cart injury in the Dominican Republic evaporated that deal — and as a result, any chance for Breeland to find work until Green Bay called this week.
Breeland received a skin graft on the back of his left foot after cutting it on bicycle spokes as a fourth grader and had the injury reopened when a golf cart clipped him on the same spot in February.
“It was very tough, you know what I mean?” Breeland said after his first Packers practice Wednesday. “To have a deal like that taken away just for a freak accident, not even football-related, it was devastating. But at the same time, it made me who I am. So I don’t really regret it.”
So, instead of reaping the rewards of a four-year career as a starting corner in Washington that saw him intercept eight passes, break up 59 more and force seven fumbles, he had to stay in shape at EXOS training facilities in Phoenix and Charlotte and fly around the country for about 13 team workouts.
“I mean, I felt good like two months ago, a while back,” he said. “But teams had their precautions. Doctors got little pings on things. It’s a unique injury. A lot of doctors haven’t really seen this type of injury in this locker room. Just had to overcome that.”
The Packers brought Breeland in Tuesday, along with cornerbacks David Amerson and Arrion Springs, after it was determined that corner Davon House had suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
“I think timing, we’re fortunate,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “I know the personnel department was excited after his workout.”
While Breeland has battled through some injuries in his career (strained right medial collateral ligament in the preseason in 2015, injuring an ankle in 2016 season) he has played in 60 of a possible 64 games since coming into the league.
Just 26, Breeland is now the third longest-tenured player in the Packers’ secondary with four seasons under his belt. Only corner Tramon Williams (12) and safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (five) have been in the NFL longer.
That said, he knows he’s in a different situation than he was as an entrenched starter in Washington.
“I feel like I’m at a point to come here and prove that I’m still that player that I was last year,” Breeland said. “It’s hard not being out there playing on first team or playing every down like I’m accustomed to, but at this point I have to adapt to the situation, and I’m going to grow as best I can and do everything I can to get on the field as quick as possible.”
Breeland admitted he was inconsistent at times in Washington but feels he has a chance to reset not just his marketplace as a free agent in 2019, but transform how he’s perceived league-wide.
“I get a chance to really change the perception of Bashaud Breeland and really re-create a new player,” he said. “It’s a new start, a new beginning, a new journey for me. The energy around here is magnificent. I feel like that they’re going to help me to get to where I want to be.”
As for Sunday against Buffalo, Breeland feels he’s physically ready to play and will be able to grasp what he needs to out of defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s playbook, but he knows there is a process to undergo in order to get back on the field.
“They’re going to work me in as best as possible,” he said. “When they feel like I’m ready, I’m ready. I would love to get out there and play ball this Sunday if I get that chance, and I’m going to do my best to help this team win. But if not, it won’t be a devastating moment for me.”