What Lions Signing Teddy Bridgewater Means for ’23 Season (Hopes Are High!)
Last season, a then-rebuilding Detroit Lions team was content to enter the season with Nate Sudfeld (six career games played) as the primary backup to starting quarterback Jared Goff.
Sudfeld wasn’t needed as Goff started all 17 games last year, but Detroit isn’t being as risky with its signal-caller position this season — signing Teddy Bridgewater this week to an undisclosed contract.
Let’s dig into why Bridgewater could wind up being a season-saving addition to the Lions.
What Bridgewater Brings to Detroit
Bridgewater is past his prime as an NFL player, but his experience – both as a starter and a backup – are invaluable for a relatively thin quarterback room in Detroit.
After Goff, the Lions had just Sudfeld and 3rd Round NFL Draft pick Hendon Hooker (recovering from ACL surgery) before Bridgewater was brought in.
At the very least, Bridgewater should be able to mentor Hooker and provide some valuable competition for Sudfeld.
And of course, if (GOD FORBID) Goff goes down with injury, Bridgewater has already proven that he can win as a starter.
Last year, that might not have mattered much, but it’s LOUD AND CLEAR that expectations have been raised for this season, and this signing makes that even more obvious.
“We’re Year 3 and I think we’re in a much better position and you just, you want to know that you are in the best hands possible,” Campbell told the Detroit Free Press. “I’ll leave it at that. But that’s also — it’s the competition. That doesn’t mean Nate’s out of anything if we go this route, and if it works out you’ll feel good about whoever comes out of the fire is going to be the right guy to help you along the way. But yeah, you don’t want the wheels to fall off.”
Bridgewater’s History as a Starting QB
Bridgewater was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings with the 32nd pick of the 1st round of the 2014 NFL Draft out of Louisville.
He then went on to record modest numbers – roughly 3,000 yards and 14 TDs each season – in his first two years in Minnesota before a devastating knee injury sidelined him for almost two full seasons.
In his playing days since, Bridgewater has been one of the most capable backup QBs in the league.
His 5-0 run with the Saints in 2019 – filling in for an injured Drew Brees – particularly impressed Lions head coach Dan Campbell (an assistant coach with the Saints at the time).
“When you’re with somebody for two years, you get a really good feel of what they’re capable of and the way they’re wired, the way he thinks, and so I’ve seen him work,” Campbell told the Detroit Free Press of Bridgewater on Tuesday. “I’ve seen him run the offense, I’ve seen him in critical moments, I’ve seen him develop young talent, young receivers.”
How Bridgewater Played Last Season
Bridgewater has a reputation for his dink-and-dunk passing attack, and that was on display for a few games in Miami last season after QB Tua Tagovailoa was sidelined with head injuries.
He completed 49-of-79 passes (62%) for 683 yards, four touchdowns and four interceptions until a finger injury sent him to the sideline, too.
It might be a stretch to rely on the now 30-year-old Bridgewater for more than a few games this season, but that’s much more than the Lions had to back up Goff this time last week.