Bridgewater Says His New Team Brings a 'Unique Opportunity'
Last March, the Carolina Panthers parted ways with franchise quarterback Cam Newton and signed free agent Teddy Bridgewater to a three-year, $63 million deal. Fast forward one year later and the Panthers made a move to acquire New York Jets QB Sam Darnold thus ending the road for Bridgewater in the Queen City after just one season.
Bridgewater did a good job of picking up Joe Brady's offense thanks to spending a season with him while the two were in New Orleans. The Panthers offense had no trouble moving the football up and down the field on a weekly basis but struggled to finish off drives with touchdowns and when it came down to the wire, Bridgewater never pulled through.
Carolina finished the season with a 5-11 record but they could have been knocking on the door of a playoff spot had the offense, Bridgewater included, performed better at the end of games. The Panthers lost eight games by just one score and had possession of the ball in the final minutes with the chance to win in the majority of those games.
Bridgewater's inability to win some of those games played a big factor in the team wanting to move in a different direction. Just one day prior to the start of the NFL Draft, the Panthers found a trade partner for Bridgewater and dealt him to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a 6th round pick.
Recently, Bridgewater spoke with DenverBroncos.com's Sydney Jones on his fresh start with Denver.
"It's a talented football team, and it has so many pieces," Bridgewater said. "I'm just glad to be a part of what they're doing around here and what we're trying to build here. It's a great, unique opportunity for me to come in and compete and lead at the same time. I'm just grateful for this opportunity."
Those were some pretty interesting comments from Bridgewater considering he had a better supporting cast around him in Carolina. Sure, the Broncos have a few promising young receivers but none of them have reached the level of DJ Moore or Robby Anderson - at least not yet. Not to mention, Christian McCaffrey is arguably the best running back in the entire league given that he is healthy.
Bridgewater had the same opportunity in Carolina that he will have in Denver. However, the job is not 100% his. Drew Lock has been the team's starter for each of the past two seasons meaning Bridgewater may be coming in as insurance and to serve as Lock's mentor. The Broncos have also been rumored to be interested in making a deal for Aaron Rodgers.
Bridgewater also talked with Sydney Jones about having to compete for the starting job.
"Competition makes us all better as human beings," Bridgewater said. "In the end, you look back and you realize you form relationships and bonds with different guys through competition. You learn a lot about the guy you're competing against, the guy you're competing with. So I'm looking forward to this opportunity, making the best of it and just going out there and taking it one day at a time."
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