With a need at the quarterback position and a boatload of salary cap space, the Indianapolis Colts have been listed as suitors for nearly every quarterback that might become available this offseason.
When it comes to free agency, the Colts have been linked to almost every option. Good or bad, old or young. If there’s a quarterback on the market, the Colts are likely “among the suitors.”
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We can now add New Orleans Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the list as he was named the one free agent the Colts must sign this offseason by ESPN.
Nobody knows exactly what Bridgewater’s going rate is going to be in free agency, but it does seem as if plenty of teams are seriously interested in his talents. The Colts should be one of those teams after Jacoby Brissett recorded an overall grade of 59.3 that ranked 29th out of 32 qualifying quarterbacks during the 2019 season. Bridgewater, meanwhile, didn’t quite play enough snaps to qualify, but his 73.0 grade would have ranked 19th. Bridgewater probably won’t be as expensive as options such as Tom Brady, Philip Rivers or Jameis Winston, and his style of play provides a nice floor to a team that remains stuck between winning now and looking toward the future after Andrew Luck’s retirement.
The Colts are likely looking at all of the options in free agency. That doesn’t mean they are interested enough to pursue or even offer some of the available names, but Chris Ballard is certainly conducting his due diligence.
Bridgewater is an interesting target for the Colts given what he’s shown in his career, which might look different had he not suffered a devastating knee injury during his time with the Minnesota Vikings.
The 27-year-old quarterback got a chance to show somewhat of a sample before entering free agency. Filling in for Drew Brees during his time missed with a thumb injury, Bridgewater played six games in which he attempted at least 27 passes.
In those six games, Bridgewater completed 67.7% of his passes for 1,370 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions with a 98.9 passer rating. His adjusted yards per pass attempt sat at 7.49, higher than Jacoby Brissett’s 6.8.
No one truly knows how the Colts will go about the quarterback this offseason, but ESPN believes the best route is to go after Teddy Two Gloves.
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