Teddy Bridgewater: Carolina Panthers
Now given that Brees is, as he declared, “Who Dat Nation for life,” that would mean his current backup might be looking for a new team. Bridgewater’s return from a horrific knee injury that almost ended his career has been inspirational to watch, as has been his role in the Saints’ locker room the past few seasons.
Beyond that, when pressed into action this season when Brees suffered a thumb injury, Bridgewater performed well. He led the Saints to five victories in his five starts (cue the “QB WINZ” crowd) but ran Payton’s offense extremely well. He got the ball out on time and in rhythm, took advantage of the running backs in the passing game, and generally made the right decisions with the football.
Could a potential reunion be in the offing?
Prior to being the passing game coordinator for the LSU Tigers, new Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady was an offensive assistant with the Saints for two seasons. Brady’s offense is heavily influenced by Payton’s system, with some more run/pass option elements incorporated into the playbook. Bridgewater’s first season in New Orleans was the 2018 campaign, so this would be a reunion between the two.
Besides the schematic familiarity, there is also the issue of the talent around him. You can see why (beyond the “Rise of Burrow”) that Brady was an enticing option for Carolina. Putting a running back like Christian McCaffrey into such an offense gives the Panthers a number of ways to attack defenses in both the running and the passing game. Of course there are the basic RPO designs that we all know and love, where Bridgewater would meet McCaffrey at the mesh point and read the linebacker, and if the LB crashes down on the potential run he would pull and throw to Curtis Samuel on a slant or strike route.
But there are also the third-level RPOs that Brady will be installing, where you can get more vertical in the passing game while still putting defenders into conflict. These are all designs that Bridgewater can run and be extremely effective at executing.
Now certainly the Panthers currently have a full quarterback room. Cam Newton is under contract for this season, they drafted Will Grier as season ago, and Kyle Allen showed promise at times a year ago when he was pressed into action. But consider this: Newton has more of a Coryell background given his time under coaches like Mike Shula, Norv Turner and Scott Turner. Brady’s offense might not be the best schematic fit for Newton, who is more of a vertical-suited passer. Should the Panthers decide to make a change in their QB room – and not draft a passer – Bridgewater makes sense from a schematic perspective.