Breeland attended Allendale-Fairfax High School in Fairfax, South Carolina, where he played football and basketball and ran track. In football, he played quarterback and defensive back. He was an All-state selection by The State and All-Atlantic Region team member by PrepStar. As a junior, he had 95 rushes for 789 yards with 12 touchdowns on offense, and totalled 76 tackles on defense. He led the Tigers to a 10–2 record as a senior after rushing for 1,270 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was also a starter on the basketball team. In track & field, Breeland won the state title in the 400m hurdles as a sophomore and junior, and helped his team reach the state title in track as a junior. He captured two state titles at the 2010 SCHSL State Championships, winning the 110m hurdles and the 400m hurdles. He earned a tenth-place finish in the 300m hurdles at the 2010 Bob Hayes Invitational at 40.69 seconds. He was also timed at 4.41 in the 40-yard dash and posted a 280-pound bench press and 450-pound squat.
Recruiting
Regarded as a three-star recruit by Rivals.com, Breeland was regarded as the No. 22 safety in the nation and No. 6 player in South Carolina by Scout.com, and the No. 56 safety in the nation by ESPN.com. He chose Clemson over Penn State, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.
College career
Breeland attended Clemson University from 2010 to 2013. He finished his career with 136 tackles, three sacks and six interceptions. He entered the 2014 NFL Draft after his junior season.
Professional career
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins selected Breeland in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He was the tenth cornerback drafted in 2014.
2014 season
On May 16, 2014, the Washington Redskins signed Breeland to a four-year, $2.70 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $486,000. He became a starter following a season-ending injury to DeAngelo Hall early in the season. In the Week 7 win against the Tennessee Titans, he recorded his first career interception on quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. He had a breakout performance in the Week 8 win against the Dallas Cowboys. He covered starting wide receiverDez Bryant, limiting him to only three receptions, forced DeMarco Murray to fumble which was recovered by safety Brandon Meriweather, and broke up a pass on fourth down sealing the Redskins' overtime victory. In the Week 16 game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he intercepted quarterback Mark Sanchez late in the fourth quarter to help seal the Redskins victory.
2015 season
On July 31, 2015, the second day of training camp, it was announced that Breeland would be suspended for the first game of the 2015 season for the citation he was given by Virginia Commonwealth University police for possession of marijuana on August 11, 2014. On exactly the same day, he was injured during camp practice and was carted off the field. It was later announced that he sprained his MCL with a recovery period of four to six weeks and would not participate for the rest of training camp. In Week 5, he recorded his first interception of the season against Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. In Week 6, Breeland had a solid performance against the New York Jets, having recorded one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
2016 season
Despite having a difficult time covering wide receiver Antonio Brown in the Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Breeland recorded his first interception of the season against Ben Roethlisberger. In the Week 16 win, he recorded two interceptions on Chicago Bears quarterback Matt Barkley, which made him the first Redskins player since Fred Smoot in 2001 to start his career recording multiple interceptions in three consecutive seasons.
Breeland recorded the first interception of the 2017 season against quarterback Kellen Clemens in the Week 14 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, which he returned for 96 yards for a touchdown. Following the season, Breeland became an unrestricted free agent. On March 16, 2018, Breeland agreed terms with the Carolina Panthers on a three-year, $24 million contract, including $11 million in guaranteed money. However, he failed his physical having cut his foot while on a visit to the Dominican Republic that later became infected; the contract was therefore voided and became a free agent again.
The Green Bay Packers signed Breeland on September 25, 2018. Breeland's first game as a Packer was a 17–31 loss to the New England Patriots in Week 9, after missing several weeks to learn the playbook. In Week 10, against the Miami Dolphins, Breeland recorded his first interception of the season off Brock Osweiler. He injured his groin in Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks and missed the next two games. Breeland would return in the Week 14 game against the Atlanta Falcons, where he recorded a 22-yard interception return touchdown off Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, while also having a fumble recovery in the same game that helped seal a 34–20 win for the Packers.
On March 18, 2019, Breeland signed a one-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs. In week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, Breeland intercepted Derek Carr in the endzone as the Chiefs won 28-10. In week 4 against the Detroit Lions, Breeland recovered a fumble by running backKerryon Johnson in the endzone and returned it 100 yards for a touchdown in the 34-30 win. Additionally, in Week 14, Breeland made the game-winning pass deflection against the New England Patriots on fourth down in a defining victory, while seizing control of the AFC West. In Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, Breeland recorded a team high seven tackles and intercepted a pass thrown by Jimmy Garoppolo during the 31–20 win.
2020 season
Breeland signed a one-year, $4.5 million contract with the Chiefs on April 14, 2020.
Career statistics
Personal life
Breeland was arrested on April 28, 2020 for multiple charges, including resisting arrest, having alcohol in a motor vehicle with the seal broken, having an open container of beer or wine in a motor vehicle, possession of 28 grams or less of marijuana or 10 grams of hash, and driving without a license. The police officer who detained Breeland alleged that Breeland threw a “large blunt” into his car and he pushed the deputy out of the way and attempted to flee the officer before he was detained. Police found marijuana in the car as well as open bottles of beer and tequila. The morning after the arrest, he posted to his Twitter that the marijuana was thrown into his car, but quickly deleted the tweets. The arresting officer said that Breeland informed him that he was a “marijuana enthusiast”. Breeland was already facing a suspension for a failed drug test prior to the arrest.
