Quarterback Teddy Bridgewater enters this year's offseason with the New York Jets with plenty of question marks surrounding his health concerning his surgically repaired left knee that cost him nearly two complete seasons of his career.
However, Bridgewater looks to be finally moving past those issues as participated in a limited fashion on the first day of OTAs. He took the field for nine total reps that were all with the backups while showing the ability to throw well on the move in a non-contact drill. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN, Bridgewater voiced confidence in how his knee responded to the practice workload.
“It feels great,” Bridgewater said of his surgically repaired left knee.
It looks like Bridgewater has also secured a spot on the roster with the Jets electing to trade quarterback Christian Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders for a seventh-round pick. This now leaves just three quarterbacks left on the roster ahead of the 2018 campaign with Josh McCown and rookie Sam Darnold. Although there isn't a clear-cut starter, it looks like it could be Darnold's job to lose unless he shows in training camp and the preseason that he is not ready to handle that type of responsibility just yet.
Meanwhile, Bridgewater could be in line to battle for the backup role if McCown is unable to land the starting job. The 25-year-old has been hampered by injuries, but he has had previously shown promise to develop into a viable starting quarterback. In his last full season in 2015, he threw for 3,231 yards on 65.3 percent completion rate with 14 touchdowns to nine interceptions while holding an 88.7 passer rating while leading the Vikings to 11 wins as a starter and an NFC North division title.
Bridgewater likely doesn't have much of a chance to start with the Jets, but it could allow him to possibly work his way into that position down the line if he can latch onto the team for the 2018 campaign.
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