Matt Breida
Matthew John "Matt" Breida (born February 28, 1995) is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Georgia Southern and signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017.[1][2]
Breida with the 49ers in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
No. 20 – Miami Dolphins | |||||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | Brandon, Florida | February 28, 1995||||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 195 lb (88 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Nature Coast Technical (Brooksville, Florida) | ||||||||||||||
College: | Georgia Southern | ||||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||||||
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Early years
Breida's adoptive parents moved the family from Hudson, Florida to Spring Hill north of Tampa. There, Breida attended Nature Coast Technical High School in nearby Brooksville, Florida. He played high school football for the Sharks.[3][4][5]
College career
Breida played college football at Georgia Southern. As a sophomore in 2014, he rushed for a Sun Belt Conference-leading 1,485 yards (second most by a GSU sophomore to Adrian Peterson) and 17 touchdowns on 171 carries, along with eight receptions for 97 yards and a touchdown.[6] This included a career-best 210 yards against Navy on November 15. As a junior in 2015, he improved to 1,609 yards (second in the conference to Larry Rose III[7]) and a conference-leading 17 touchdowns on 203 carries.[8] As a senior in 2016, his statistics declined to 646 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 168 carries, along with 11 receptions for 53 yards and two touchdowns.[9] This significant decrease in output was not due to injury, but at least partially due to first-time head coach Tyson Summers' unsuccessful move from a triple option offense.[10] Breida's 8.7 and 7.9 yards per carry his sophomore and junior years are the two best in school history, and despite only two productive years, he finished 6th in school history in total rushing yards.[11]
Professional career
Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
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5 ft 9 1⁄4 in (1.76 m) |
195 lb (88 kg) |
4.38 s | 1.53 s | 2.50 s | 4.34 s | 6.85 s | 42 in (1.07 m) |
11 ft 2 in (3.40 m) |
23 reps | |||
All values from Philadelphia Eagles Pro Day (not invited to NFL Combine).[10] |
Due to his disappointing senior year, Breida was not invited to the NFL Combine. However, he performed well at his pro day, running a 4.38 40-Yard Dash recording a 42-inch Vertical Jump, 11-Foot-2 Broad Jump and completing 23 reps on the Bench Press test.[12] Dating back to 2000, just two running backs at the NFL Combine have recorded a higher vertical jump or a faster 40-Yard Dash. His pro day statistics would have placed him first at the combine in the 40-yard dash, vertical and broad jumps, and third in the 225 lb bench.[10] Breida signed with the San Francisco 49ers, one of numerous undrafted free agents, on May 4, 2017.[13]
San Francisco 49ers
2017 season: Rookie year
Breida entered the 2017 season as the backup to Carlos Hyde in the 49ers' backfield.[14] On September 10, 2017, in his NFL debut, Breida had four rushes for 11 yards in the season opening 23–3 home loss to the Carolina Panthers.[15] In Week 8, against the Philadelphia Eagles, he recorded his first NFL touchdown, a 21-yard reception from quarterback C. J. Beathard.[16] On November 12, against the New York Giants, he scored his first rushing touchdown in the 31–21 victory.[17] In Week 16, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he had a season-high 74 rushing yards and a 30-yard rushing touchdown in the 44–33 victory.[18] In the season finale, which was a 34–13 victory over the Los Angeles Rams, he had 72 rushing yards and a 32-yard reception.[19] Breida finished his rookie season with 465 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 21 receptions, 180 receiving yards, and a receiving touchdown.[20] This was third on the 6–10 team in yards-from-scrimmage,[14] and 14th among NFL rookies.[21]
2018 season
Breida entered the season expecting to back up newly signed free agent Jerick McKinnon, but McKinnon tore his ACL prior to the start of the season thrusting him to compete for the starting role with Alfred Morris. Breida began the season as backup to Morris, but out-gained the veteran with 46 yards in the season opening loss to the Minnesota Vikings.[22] He started for the first time in his career in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions,[23] and finished with a career-high 138 rushing yards (which also led the NFL in Week 2[24]) and a touchdown as the 49ers won 30–27. His 66-yard touchdown in the third quarter was second only to Colin Kaepernick's 90-yarder in 2014 for the longest run by a 49er since 2009.[25] Frequently hampered by minor injuries,[26][27] Breida split carries with veterans Morris and Raheem Mostert. Though he had 90 yards the following game against the Kansas City Chiefs, he averaged 11 carries for just 43 yards over the next six games, losing the NFL lead in yards per attempt to Detroit's Kerryon Johnson and Cleveland's Nick Chubb in Week 8.[28] He rebounded with a 17-carry, 101-yard performance in a Week 10 loss to the New York Giants,[23] and in his Week 11 return to the Tampa area, Breida recorded 106 yards on 14 rushes to move back to second in the NFL (behind Green Bay's Aaron Jones) with 5.8 yards-per-carry, and added 34 receiving yards.[29] In Week 13 against the Seattle Seahawks, Breida had three receptions for 51 yards, but only five rushes for six yards before suffering an injury, and missing the next game.[30] He returned two weeks later again in the second divisional game against the Seattle Seahawks, and recorded 96 yards-from-scrimmage in the win.[31] In Week 16, against the Chicago Bears, he had just four rushes for 20 yards before again suffering an ankle injury, which placed him on injured reserve for the rest of the season.[32][33] Despite numerous health problems, Breida led the injury-plagued 4–12 49ers with 814 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, and was second on the team only to NFL-record-setter George Kittle with 1,075 yards-from-scrimmage.[34] His 5.3 yards per attempt was fourth among qualified NFL rushers.[35]
2019 season
With continued complications in McKinnon's recovery, Breida entered the season as a co-starter with free agent acquisition Tevin Coleman. During Week 2 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Breida rushed for 121 yards on 12 carries in the 41-17 road victory.[36] After a Week 4 bye, Breida rushed for 114 yards and an 83-yard touchdown on 11 carries in a 31-3 victory against the Cleveland Browns. He also caught three passes for 15 yards and a touchdown. He reached 22.30 mph on the 83-yard touchdown run, the fastest speed reached by a ball carrier on any play since the start of the previous season, making him responsible for two of the top three fastest speeds reached in that span (22.30 mph and 22.09 mph respectively).[37] Late in the season, Breida was used less frequently as Raheem Mostert took over the second-string role.
Breida finished the 2019 season with 623 rushing yards and a touchdown along with 19 receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown.[38] He was fifth in the NFL with 5.1 yards per carry, his third consecutive season in the top 10. Despite not seeing much playing time in the playoffs, the 49ers reached Super Bowl LIV, but were defeated by the Kansas City Chiefs.
On March 17, 2020, the 49ers placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Breida. He signed the contract on April 16, 2020.[39]
Miami Dolphins
On April 25, 2020, during the 2020 NFL Draft, Breida was traded to the Miami Dolphins for a fifth-round pick, which the 49ers used to select West Virginia offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.[40]
NFL statistics
Personal life
Breida was adopted by Terri and Mike Breida on March 2, 1995. They later adopted a second child, Josh. The couple were independently disabled by chronic health problems and car accidents in 2006 and 2003, respectively.[41][3] During his time at Georgia Southern, Breida volunteered as a reader and speaker at elementary schools in two states, which contributed to his nomination as a Senior Class Award finalist and Honor Roll member.[42]
References
- Baker, Matt. "Undrafted ex-Nature Coast Tech RB Matt Breida gets free agent deal with 49ers". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- Barrows, Matt. "49ers: Speedy running back Matt Breida eager to show off power". The Sacramento Bee. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- Anderson, Joel (November 23, 2018). "The 49ers' Matt Breida is a surprising, grateful star". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- LaRiviere, Derek (June 22, 2016). "Amid success, Nature Coast alum Matt Breida stays focused on short-term". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- Barrows, Matt. "NFL leading rusher Matt Breida married his high-school..." The Athletic. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "Matt Breida 2014 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- "2015 Sun Belt Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- "Matt Breida 2015 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- "Matt Breida 2016 Game Log". Sports Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
- "NFL Draft Profile: Matt Breida, Georgia Southern". www.forgotten5.com.
- Georgia Southern Football Media Guide
- "49ers Sign 6 Draft Picks, 18 Undrafted Free Agents". 49ers.com. May 4, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2017.
- "2017 San Francisco 49ers Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Carolina Panthers at San Francisco 49ers – September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
- "San Francisco 49ers at Philadelphia Eagles – October 29th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- "New York Giants at San Francisco 49ers – November 12th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Jacksonville Jaguars at San Francisco 49ers – December 24th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "San Francisco 49ers at Los Angeles Rams – December 31st, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "Matt Breida 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 3, 2018.
- "2017 Rookie Statistics". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- Maiocco, Matt (September 9, 2018). "Three quick takeaways from 49ers' 24–16 loss to Vikings". NBCS Bay Area. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- "Matt Breida Career Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- "2018 NFL Week 2 Leaders & Scores". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- "San Francisco 49ers running back Matt Breida burns entire Lions D for a 66-yard TD run". NFL.com. September 26, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
- Maiocco, Matt (November 8, 2018). "Breida should be his healthiest in weeks for 49ers-Giants". NBCS Bay Area. Retrieved November 14, 2018.
- Chan, Jennifer Lee (November 10, 2018). "49ers RB Breida has faced adversity beyond the injury report". NBCS Bay Area.
- "5 Takeaways: Chiefs 38, 49ers 27 in Week 3". www.49ers.com. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
- Chan, Jennifer Lee (November 25, 2018). "Breida pleased by personal success but wants 49ers to win". NBCS Bay Area.
- Fucillo, David (December 17, 2018). "Matt Breida ankle injury results in extra work for Jeff Wilson". Niners Nation. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers – December 16th, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "Chicago Bears at San Francisco 49ers – December 23rd, 2018". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- Fann, Joe (December 29, 2018). "49ers Promote WR Max McCaffrey, DL Ryan Delaire to Active Roster". 49ers.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- "2018 San Francisco 49ers Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- "2018 NFL Rushing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "Garoppolo throws 3 TDs, 49ers roll over Bengals 41-17". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- "Matt Breida reached 22.30 MPH on this 83-yard TD run, the fastest speed reached by a ball carrier on any play since the start of last season.@MattBreida is responsible for 2 of the top 3 fastest speeds reached in that span (22.30 MPH & 22.09 MPH)". Twitter. October 7, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- "Matt Breida 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 6, 2020.
- Gordon, Grant (April 16, 2020). "Roundup: RB Matt Breida signs 49ers 1-year tender". NFL.com. Retrieved April 18, 2020.
- Maiocco, Matt (April 25, 2020). "49ers trade Matt Breida to Dolphins, draft Colton McKivitz with pick". NBC Sports. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
- Deen, Nathan (August 8, 2015). "'They're my family': GSU star Matt Breida appreciates life adoptive parents have given him". Savannah Morning News. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
- "Matt Breida". www.49ers.com. Retrieved January 5, 2020.