Image Courtesy of Fansided.
I can almost hear people screaming Bashaud Breeland, but he did make some good plays. Other signings had bad seasons too. There are four who I would single out in this regard.
To see if I can give a conclusive opinion on who was the worst Vikings free-agent signing of 2021, let’s take a look at these four.
This is probably the harshest of the four players, and he started the season well.
A sack on his debut in Week 1 and a pick 6 in Week 2. Unfortunately, Nick Vigil didn’t build on that start, although he was average in coverage and pass-rush situations. His major weakness was a problem for the team. Run defense. Once again, the Achilles heel of the team and the big problems came at the edge and the linebackers, with Vigil being one of the major culprits.
He did take on the defensive playcalling on the field when Anthony Barr didn’t play. If, like many of the other signings, he came in on a veteran minimum deal, I might have just put him in my free agents that were a success piece. However, he was signed to a $2.25 million deal in one of the earlier deals made. His performances didn’t warrant that extra money, and by midway through the season, I would have rather seen Blake Lynch on the field.
After one year away in Carolina, Stephen Weatherly returned to Minnesota (who drafted him). It looked to be a solid veteran signing that would give depth to the defensive end position. He didn’t figure much in the opening games, largely due to another returning former Viking. Everson Griffen picked up his old partnership with Danielle Hunter, and both were playing well. The Vikings decided to show faith in their young players to back up the starters and viewed Weatherley as surplus to requirement.
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He left for Denver after the Week 6 win in Carolina. In hindsight, following the season-ending injury to Hunter, and the season-ending mental health issues for Griffen, letting Weatherley leave looked like a mistake. In truth, he didn’t do anything in the opening games to warrant keeping him around.
Another former Viking who returned was cornerback Mackensie Alexander after a year away in Cincinnati. Following the emergence of Cameron Dantzler and the signings of Patrick Peterson and Bashaud Breeland, Alexander’s return as the slot cornerback was supposed to turn around one of the team’s weaknesses into a strength.
That did not happen.
Alexander struggled all season long, reflected in his Pro Football Focus grade of 40.2. That was the worst grade out of all eligible cornerbacks. He struggled in coverage all season, where his PFF coverage grade of 40.3 was also the worst in the league.
It was a substantial fall from grace for a player who had always been solid and, at times, very good. For the large parts of this season, he was a liability. He made plenty of tackles, but that was as good as it got.
Bashuad Breeland’s time in Minnesota was an event and rarely dull. There were highlights which included two interceptions and two forced fumbles. There were also times that he was horribly beaten in coverage. Then, there’s the fact that he continued to start while Cameron Dantzler sat in Mike Zimmers doghouse (for reasons that never made sense until stories began to emerge following the firing of the Vikings head coach).
Other than performance on the field, there was the off-the-field stuff that led to his demise in Minnesota. It started with an apparent “shushing” of his own fans and angry tweets aimed at his home fanbase. It ended on December 18 when he got involved in verbal altercations with players and coaches at practice, reportedly culminating with then-general manager Rick Spielman being called to the situation and resulting in him being waived by the team that day. It was a fitting way for his Vikings career to end.
The most damning thing for me was after his departure, Cameron Dantzler looked more solid and consistent in the final games than Breeland did at any point in the season. Dantzler had his own low points throughout the season, but it’s a fair argument to suggest he’d have benefitted from consistently playing from Week 1. Building on his promising rookie season. That is why Bashaud Breeland was the worst Vikings free-agent signing of 2021. Bad performances, off-the-field shenanigans, and hindering the development of one of our young players. It doesn’t get much worse.