NFL.com ranked all 59 players who started a game at quarterback this season. League MVP Aaron Rodgers came in at No. 1, while Panthers QB Teddy Bridgewater came in at No. 29, basically the exact middle.
“Teddy initially exceeded expectations but petered out as the season went along. Head coach Matt Rhule didn’t equivocate in his end-of-season presser — “Teddy has to have a tremendous offseason” — and the Panthers have clearly been poking around the QB market, so it’d be a surprise to no one if Bridgewater is one-and-done as Carolina’s starter.”
Bridgewater should be placed higher than Taysom Hill but this is pretty close to where we have him right now, as well.
As for Carolina’s other quarterbacks, the NFL.com crew ranked backup P.J. Walker No. 55 on their list.
“Walker’s time in the spotlight was brief, but his respectable first NFL start (70.6% completion rate, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 77.8 passer rating in a Week 11 win over Detroit) surely beefed up his XFL-spiked resume.”
We liked some of what Walker did Week 11, but like Will Grier he needs to speed up his progressions if he’s going to stick around at this level. The interceptions he threw were of the unacceptable variety.
This is more evidence that the Panthers are doing the right thing by aggressively searching for an upgrade at QB. According to media reports, Carolina has shown a lot of interest in both Deshaun Watson and Matt Stafford. They have also reportedly spoken with the Jets about Sam Darnold and have been discussed as a potential suitor for Carson Wentz of the Eagles, even if they are not considered to be too serious about pursuing him.
That’s probably for the best. Wentz has performed at a high level in the past, but we’ve ranked him the worst among 12 veteran quarterbacks who might get traded this offseason.
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