Bashaud Breeland May Cost DeAngelo Hall a Roster Spot

Bashaud Breeland had big shoes to fill when he stepped in for DeAngelo Hall this season after Hall tore his Achilles (not once, but twice!)

The rookie corner out of Clemson saw limited action in the Redskins’ first two games and was still learning the ways of the NFL. In some ways, he still is, but his play this season has proved to management and fans that he was worth the fourth-round pick in this year’s draft.

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Breeland had one of his best games of his young career – if not the best – in Washington’s upset win in Dallas on Oct. 27. He had six tackles, forced one fumble and defended four passes while limiting Dez Bryant to three catches and 70 yards (yes, Bryant did score a touchdown in the game).

Since then, Breeland has continued to play well in the shoes of Hall. He’s made 31 combined tackles since Week 8 (57 on the year) and leads the team in passes defended with 13.

Most recently, he came up with a game-changing interception against the Philadelphia Eagles this Saturday in the Redskins’ upset win.

So where does that leave DeAngelo Hall, if and when he comes back next season?

There’s a large chance that the Redskins could cut the veteran corner. He’ll be coming off two Achilles tears in just over a month and is signed through 2017. He’s set to make close to $5 million each of the remaining three years on his contract and will turn 32 next year.

If the Redskins cut him, they’ll save $2.375 million on the salary cap next season.

But Hall and the organization just signed his new contract this past offseason, and given his track record with the Redskins, the team may opt to go with their proven corner despite age and injury.

That would force Jay Gruden to take a closer look at David Amerson, who has played in 14 games this season. Amerson has 49 solo tackles this season but has not tallied an interception or forced a fumble this season.

While the Washington Redskins will certainly have some work to do in the offseason, management has found a solid young corner in Bashaud Breeland.

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