The Minnesota Vikings made a Friday afternoon move in NFL free agency, swooping in to sign cornerback Bashaud Breeland and fortify their secondary. 

Breeland spent the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, playing in back-to-back Super Bowl games and winning one. He previously played with Washington for four seasons (2014-2017) and the Green Bay Packers for one year, in 2018. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer had to game-plan against Breeland when the cornerback was on the Packers' roster three years ago. Now the coach will be able to deploy Breeland as a resource in his defensive backfield. 

Breeland intercepted two passes last year for the Chiefs, with 30 solo tackles and a fumble recovery. Breeland has collected 14 interceptions in his seven-year career, averaging two interceptions per season. The Vikings hope Breeland can improve upon that average in 2021.

Breeland averaged just under 60 solo tackles per year in his first three NFL seasons. He has averaged just 30 tackles per year in his last four seasons. One could be tempted to think this decline in tackles is due to a decrease in quality and effectiveness, but that's not necessarily the case. The Vikings know this.

Breeland wasn't working with an overwhelmingly strong defense in Washington, and he played on teams which consistently struggled. Washington trailed in a lot more games than it led, which means its opponents ran the ball a lot more frequently. Breeland was on the field for many more running plays in those years. Hence, he had a lot more opportunities to make tackles. The Vikings wouldn't want or expect him to return to 2015-style tackle totals.

When Breeland went to the Packers and then the Chiefs, his own offenses ran the ball in the second half and the fourth quarter. Green Bay and Kansas City were usually leading late. This often meant that the Packers and Chiefs were in a prevent defense. The Packers and Chiefs needed corners who could cover deep and contain opponents' passing games. They didn't need run-stuffers nearly as much.

The big question for Breeland with the Vikings is, in many ways, connected to his recent go-round with the Chiefs. Because Patrick Mahomes regularly gave Kansas City a huge lead, Breeland and the other members of the K.C. secondary had to cover the pass relentlessly.

The Vikings, with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, aren't going to roll up huge leads on opponents the way the Chiefs have (and will continue to do). Breeland will play in a lot more high-leverage situations, and probably in more running situations.

He will need to be on his toes, and the Vikings will need him to be great if Aaron Rodgers does come back to play one more season with the Packers.