Ross Cockrell’s injury could push Panthers back into the mix for Bashaud Breeland
The Carolina Panthers made an early move in free agency to sign Bashaud Breeland but a failed physical killed it. It could be on the table again now.
Another day in Panthers camp and the team has sustained another possibly serious injury. Cornerback Ross Cockrell went down in a ton of pain. His injury was so significant that it served to cut Panthers practice short.
If you’re apt to believe the player, Cockrell suffered a broken leg. He was heard screaming those exact words as he was lying on the ground in pain. If that’s the case, you have to assume he’ll miss all of the 2018 campaign. That will leave Caroline woefully thin at the cornerback position.
Ironically, the solution to this problem could be reverting back to what the Panthers wanted to do when the offseason began. The team’s first choice free agent signing in the secondary was former Redskins corner Bashaud Breeland. He signed a big money deal with the Panthers, but things fell apart when he failed a physical.
Cockrell was yelling, “My leg is broke.”
— Joe Person (@josephperson) July 30, 2018
Collided with Torrey Smith, who was on the ground while running in the end zone.
Lately, Breeland has been making the rounds with quite a few other teams in an effort to get a deal done for this season. He doesn’t have any chance of making the big money Carolina was willing to pay him originally, but the idea for him would be to obtain a roster spot that would allow him to rehabilitate his value around the league.
There haven’t been any reports linking him with Carolina recently, but don’t be surprised if that changes pretty quickly. Cockrell was signed as a lower cost alternative to Breeland after other corners had come off the market. It’s not inconceivable that Marty Hurney and company will kick the tires on Breeland again now. It’s unclear whether or not there’s bad blood between his representatives and the team, but money has away of smoothing those issues over in the NFL.
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Optimistic Panthers fans will say the team is fine with their cornerback trio of James Bradberry, Kevan Seymour and Donte Jackson. Don’t expect the Panthers brass to feel the same way. Bringing Breeland in to supplement that group is a real possibility in Carolina.