The throw that won Teddy Bridgewater a starting job

The Denver Broncos have made a decision about the starting quarterback position. That choice? Teddy Bridgewater. One throw from the preseason might be the reason why.

It can be infuriating distilling major organizational decisions, or thoughts on a player, down to just one play.

But let’s do that anyway.

The Denver Broncos made the decision on Wednesday to name Teddy Bridgewater their starting quarterback over Drew Lock. The starting job in Denver was one of the major quarterback battles taking shape this off-season, made particularly interesting by these few factors.

First, the Broncos had the opportunity to draft a quarterback a few months ago, with both Mac Jones and Justin Fields staring them in the face when they decided to select cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

Second, Denver has, on the whole, a very solid roster. Offensively, it is hard to put together a better 11 personnel package than what the Broncos offer, with Jerry Jeudy, K.J. Hamler and Courtland Sutton at wide receiver, Noah Fant at tight end, and the tandem of Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams at running back. Add that to an improved offensive line, and you have a  good offense in place around the quarterback position.

Defensively, the Broncos are in position to have a top unit as well. Von Miller is back and pairing him with Bradley Chubb gives Denver a stout tandem up front. Then you look at the secondary, which has not only one of the better safeties in the game in Justin Simmons but also Kyle Fuller, Surtain II, Ronald Darby and Bryce Callahan in the secondary, and you can see how the Broncos are in position to pair pass rush with coverage, the Bill Belichick model for defensive success:

They just needed to sort out the quarterback position.

That led to the battle between Lock and Bridgewater this summer, with members of Denver media charting every throw in practice, every snap in games. Honestly, you could make a case  for Denver going with either Lock or Bridgewater, based on their performances this preseason. But if there was one moment that might have sold head coach Vic Fangio on Bridgewater, it was this fourth-down play last week against the Seattle Seahawks:

For all the discussion about Bridgewater as the “conservative” or “safe” option in Denver, this read and throw is an example of what he still offers downfield, what he can do from the pocket and what this offense can be in the right hands. Facing 4th-and-5 the Broncos come out with Bridgewater under center and use two tight ends. They’ll send one of them — Fant — in motion from left to right. Bridgewater sees a defender trail, and knows that the Seahawks are in man coverage. Fant and fellow tight end Eric Saubert mesh underneath, while Hamler and Jeudy run a Mills concept. Hamler runs the deep post out of the slot while Jeudy runs the dig from his outside alignment.

Hamler, and the threat of his deep speed, draws both the man coverage defender and the attention of the free safety in this Cover-1 scheme. That leaves Jeudy in a one-on-one situation on the outside, against a cornerback using outside leverage and expecting help to the inside. But with Hamler drawing the attention of the safety, Jeudy has the middle of the field open for him.

Bridgewater — from a collapsing pocket — deftly climbs the pocket and evades the pressure, while keeping his eyes downfield. He then hits Jeudy in stride, and 4th-and-5 becomes a first down deep inside the red zone.

Here is that play from the end zone angle, with a good look at how well Bridgewater climbs the pocket, keeps his eyes downfield, and fires:

Some might argue that the decision to start Bridgewater was the safe, conservative decision. There might be a case for that, as the veteran has shown a tendency to take care of the football and check it down when he needs to. But then you see a throw like this and you see both the potential of this offense in the right hands, and why Bridgewater might just be those right hands.