Teddy Bridgewater has a very large pair of cleats to fill this season as he takes over the Panthers’ franchise quarterback role from Cam Newton. While he doesn’t have the same physical gifts as Newton, Bridgewater is a capable starter in his own way.
One of the best selling points for Bridgewater is his ability to read defenses and understand how to exploit them. He’s already impressed some of his teammates with his mental approach to the game. Here’s what second-year quarterback Will Grier said about Bridgewater in an interview with Joe Person from the Athletic.
“I’m super excited to work with Teddy. He’s been in the league for a long time, played with a lot of different guys under different coaches and has found success in different offenses. In our meetings, I can tell he’s a very cerebral guy. He understands football. I’ve already picked up things about his game that I can learn and use in my game, which I’m always doing when I talk to a guy that’s played for a long time. . . ”
Grier also likes Bridgewater’s calmness and presence in the pocket.
“He’s got just a very calm presence about him, a good pocket presence, a good balance in the pocket. His throws look effortless. He’s got really calm feet. He makes really good touch throws all over the field. In a lot of the cut-ups you see, he’s got a really good presence about him. Just watching on film, you can tell he’s a prepared guy. His brain doesn’t seem like it’s in override while he’s playing. He just seems like he knows what’s going on. He’s deliberate about what he’s doing.”
We know Bridgewater is a smart QB who rarely makes mistakes. Panthers fans can rest easy knowing he won’t be prone to turnover-worthy throws the way Kyle Allen and Grier were last season.
The question with Bridgewater is if he’ll be aggressive enough to really test opponents and take advantage of the speed he has at wide receiver. If offensive coordinator Joe Brady can push Bridgewater in this area, Carolina’s passing offense is going to surprise a lot of people.
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