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The Carolina Panthers, in a sudden turn of events, have decided to seek out a trade involving Cam Newton. While Newton appears to be on his way out of Carolina, Teddy Bridgewater steps in as the next starting quarterback of the Panthers.
On Tuesday, the Panthers agreed upon a three-year, $63 million deal with Bridgewater. The Louisville product will get the chance to start for a team in Week 1 for the first time since 2015.
Over the past two seasons, Bridgewater was with the New Orleans Saints, serving as the backup to Drew Brees. While spending time behind Brees, Sean Payton raved about Bridgewater and his presence in the locker room.
Even though he didn't get many chances to prove himself in New Orleans, Bridgewater hopes to show that he can be a franchise signal-caller in Carolina. Here are a couple reasons why the Panthers are a perfect fit for Bridgewater.
Bridgewater protects the football
Given that the Panthers are likely trading or releasing Newton, the best choice to replace him is a quarterback that doesn't turn the ball over. Not to say Newton was a turnover machine, but Matt Rhule seemed to make a concerted effort to add a quarterback that takes care of the football.
Earlier in his career, Bridgewater did show some flashes of struggling with decision-making with the Minnesota Vikings. Over the course of his first two seasons with the Vikings, Bridgewater threw a grand total of 21 interceptions in 28 starts.
However, with the Saints, Bridgewater seemed to evolve as a passer in Sean Payton's offense. As a matter of fact, Bridgewater got a chance to start in five games in 2019. Brees was sidelined with a thumb injury and Bridgewater kept the Saints afloat, going 5-0 while in relief for Brees.
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In his five starts this past season, Bridgewater was extremely efficient, completing 69.7 percent of his passes. At the same time, he threw nine touchdowns and only two interceptions. While he may not have a strong arm, Bridgewater's ability to limit turnovers is ideal for the Panthers.
Bridgewater has experience with Joe Brady
Besides hiring Rhule, the Panthers hired Joe Brady to be the team's next offensive coordinator. This past season, Brady was the passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach at LSU.
With Brady at LSU, the Tigers had one of their best seasons offensively and won the National Championship. However, before LSU, Brady was actually with the Saints as an offensive assistant under Payton.
Of course, that means Bridgewater got an opportunity to work with Brady in 2018 when both of them were in New Orleans. Provided that offseason programs could be eradicated due to the coronavirus, having experience in Brady's system is a plus for Bridgewater.
Despite Brady having his own schemes, his system is somewhat similar to the one that Payton runs with the Saints. With that in mind, the Panthers hope the pairing of Brady and Bridgewater can have success in 2020 and beyond.
