Should Teddy Bridgewater be on the radar for the Buccaneers?
The Buccaneers are approaching one of the most serious decisions in franchise history. The future without Tom Brady is far from a bleak one with a ton of excellent weapons on the roster, but handling the coming decisions will define this franchise for years to come.
Finding a great quarterback to take over after Brady is not an easy job. There aren’t a mountain of viable options in the trade or free agent market, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any choices that would work.
Teddy Bridgewater is one of the names that is flying under the radar, but fans would be surprised to see that he is a far better fit than the narratives would suggest.
“Checkdown Teddy” was an option for the Bucs prior to Brady joining, and many fans protested his fit in Tampa’s offense.
The past few years have constructed a faulty narrative that Bridgewater can’t push the ball down the field, but the numbers actually reveal otherwise. Bridgewater wasn’t called upon to do much for the Saints or the Panthers, but what we saw with the Broncos should inspire some confidence is his abilities to keep the ball going deep in Tampa’s offense.
Bridgewater finished the 2021 season tied for tenth in the league in intended air yards per pass with 8.0. This number was only slightly lower than Tom Brady’s 8.1, and it was better than Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, and Patrick Mahomes.
This number is not everything about a quarterback, but when combined with a completion percentage of 66.9% in 2021 (higher than Tom Brady’s first season in Tampa), you can see a quarterback that is accurate and able to fit the vertical style that the Buccaneers have become famous for.
The Buccaneers wouldn’t have to break the bank for Bridgewater, and he would likely be willing to play with the Bucs as the most talented offense that he has seen in his career.
The fit works well for both sides, and it would keep the Bucs as the obvious favorites in the NFC South for 2022.
Teddy Bridgewater’s name may not be the most exciting after playing in a Broncos offense that was downright uninspired from a play-calling perspective, but the talent and fit are there. The Bucs would be crazy to run with what they have if Bridgewater was interested in donning the pewter and red next season.
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