To be honest, I didn’t think Teddy Bridgewater would ever play again. After the knee injury he suffered back in 2016, the chances of him stepping on a field were very slim. After missing the entire 2016 and 17 seasons, he signed with the New York Jets on a one-year contract. In 2018, he was traded to the New Orleans Saints for a third-round pick in the NFL Draft. Just this past season, Teddy stepped in for Drew Brees when he injured his thumb. In the five games he started, he won them all. Now, he’ll be taking his services to Charlotte to play for the Panthers.
Teddy isn’t the type of quarterback to fill up the stat sheet. He’s another Alex Smith. The first thing you notice is he never steps out of his box. He knows he’s not the type of quarterback to drop back in the pocket and throw the football 50 times per game for his teams to win games. However, he can also fling the ball all over the field when he needs too. A perfect example of this is a game last season when the Saints played the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Let’s just say Tampa made Teddy look like the second coming of Joe Montana. He did whatever he wanted and threw four touchdown passes in the win. He has a quick release of the ball when stepping back in the pocket. I always admired the ability he showed to scramble away from pressure to throw the football. Pressure comes from the left, he moves right a few steps and checks the ball down. Teddy scans the entire field before making a decision. He’s himself which you have to appreciate.
Anything he receives, he’s rightfully earned it. Who knew if he’d play football again. Since the Panthers have a new head coach in Matt Rhule, he wants his own guy to build his offense around. With offensive mastermind Joe Brady now as the Panthers offensive coordinator, let’s see what he can do with Teddy. I’m not saying he’ll work his magic as he did with Joe Burrow, but this will be interesting.
