Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland relishes every opportunity to show opponents his capabilities.

With three-time Pro Bowler DeAngelo Hall sidelined for the remainder of the season, Breeland could possibly be showing what he's made of from Hall's spot in the Redskins' starting lineup.

"I'm always excited to be able to get on the field and showcase my talent," Breeland said on Tuesday. "This time (in practice), I got more reps than I normally get, so it's a big blessing for me."

Breeland said while he wishes Hall was still out on the field helping in his continued acclimation to the NFL, he's ready to step up, if needed, in an increased role.

"It's the next man up," he said. "I was just waiting for my chance, and my chance came. Blessings go out to D-Hall. I didn't want it to happen that way. I didn't want anybody to get hurt for me to be on the field.

"I was just waiting for my chance."

Drafted by the Redskins in the fourth round of May's NFL Draft, Breeland generated the first turnover of his nascent career Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.

On the second play of the second quarter, running back Darren Sproles ran up the middle of the Redskins' defense, broke a tackle and appeared destined for opposing territory.

Breeland, however, caught him in open field and noticed that he was carrying the ball "out like a loaf of bread."

Seeing this, the Clemson product poked the pigskin from Sproles' possession before Hall scooped it up for a return.

"I was just out there doing my job," he said. "The running back broke the first tackle, and I saw that he had the ball out while was running with it loose. So I just came and tried to strip the ball and make the tackle at the same time.

"That's what I've worked for. I was just waiting for that chance to be out there and showcase my talent."

Later on in the game, Breeland was just inches away from generating a second turnover, nearly picking off Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on a diving play.

While the original call on the field of an interception was overturned, Breeland hopes to get more opportunities to rattle the opposing quarterback with big-time plays, starting with the Giants' Eli Manning on Thursday at FedExField.

"Eli is just a smart quarterback," Breeland said Tuesday. "He's one of those general-type quarterbacks that can lead their team to victory day in and day out."

Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said one of the reasons Breeland has gotten off to such a strong start in his NFL career is due to his weekly preparation.

"He's a student of the game," Haslett said. "He's here all night. He stays here till 8 or 9 at night watching tape. He loves football. He loves the game. He's tough. He's got great skills. He's long. He's got good speed, and he's a lot faster than I gave him credit for coming out."

Haslett said the loss of Hall will be huge, but believes the team will continue to have success defensively with Breeland and starter David Amerson paired together against the Redskins' opposing receiving threats.

"He's tough, got a little mean streak to him, and he's got good coverage ability," Haslett said of Breeland. "He's the kind of guy you'd like to have on your team.

"Him and David will be two good looking ones out there, that's for sure."

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