When Teddy Bridgewater went down with a devastating knee injury during Vikings training camp in 2016, many doubted he would ever play again. Bridgewater’s journey has been a rollercoaster since then, from being the Vikings franchise quarterback to their third stringer by the time he returned, but he’s back on the field now and has already proved many doubters wrong.
After reportedly coming close to losing his leg entirely, Bridgewater is now a member of the Jets, signed to a one-year deal in March. Although the Jets used the third overall pick on Sam Darnold and still have Josh McCown ahead of Bridgewater for now, Bridgewater apparently has a “legitimate” shot at being the Jets’ 2018 starting quarterback, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter link).
Although very little of Bridgewater’s 2018 salary is guaranteed, he’s apparently showed well in OTAs thus far, making it more unlikely the Jets cut him. The key for Bridgewater will be his healthy and “showing his knee is sound” according to Cimini, who adds that nobody will “know that until he gets hit in a preseason game.” If Bridgewater does manage to win the Jets’ starting job this summer, it would be one of the most incredible comeback stories in recent memory.
Here’s more from around the AFC East:
- The Patriots’ running back room is currently a bit crowded, and at least one notable name will need to be cut before the regular season begins. That’s most likely to be Mike Gillislee according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com, who says he likes Jeremy Hill‘s chances of making the team better than Gillislee’s, and adds that he has “some questions about Gillislee’s effort after some drill work in OTAs.” A much-hyped free agent acquisition last offseason, Gillislee now appears to be on the outside looking in for a roster spot as he’s buried behind Sony Michel, James White, Rex Burkhead, Brandon Bolden, and possibly Hill.
- Bills rookie first-rounder Tremaine Edmunds “seems destined to start from Day 1” according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Despite being just 19 when he was drafted, Edmunds is expected to be an every down player at middle linebacker for the Bills. La Canfora adds that rookie quarterback Josh Allen was “hardly perfect” in Thursday’s OTA session, and that he’s likely to begin the season on the bench behind A.J. McCarron. While Edmunds could make some of the Bills’ veteran linebackers expendable, the Bills will likely keep McCarron around since he’s due a relatively cheap $5MM salary, unless Allen is lights out during the preseason.
- The Jets may target a veteran tight end towards the end of training camp, according to Daryll Slater of NJ.com. Slater points out that the Jets have a group of inexperienced young players at tight end, and the team will want to see how they perform this summer. If they don’t show well, the team will likely seek to bring in a veteran to help guide the young unit, writes Slater. The Jets let Austin Seferian-Jenkins walk to the Jaguars in free agency, and now have only a slew of unproven players at tight end.
Bridgewater starting for NYJ would be outstanding especially if he could hold the job for 2-3 seasons. It be nice to see him bounce back strong.
As amazing of a story that would be, it just isn’t possibly that Bridgewater starts for the Jets “for the next 2-3 seasons.”
Don’t forget that the Jets have Darnold, and regardless what happens this season, Sam Darnold will almost certainly be the Jets opening day starter come 2019..
The best thing for Bridgewater, and his future career, would be to get out of New York anyways..In a best case scenario outcome for Bridgewater, first, he would beat out McCown and Darnold to earn the starting nod for game 1..Which, keep in mind, just winning the starting job would be a HUGE win for Teddy alone..
Next, Teddy will have to play well, and leas the Jets to wins; otherwise, the fans will immediately start clamoring for Darnold to take over..
Then, if Teddy can lead the Jets to a respectable record, around 6-10 to 9-7, stay healthy, and put up some quality numbers, he will get a better offer in free agency next season…There wouldn’t be anyway that the Jets would resign Bridgewater to be their starter come 2019, with Darnold healthy and on the roster…
Come free agency next off-season, first, I would think it would benetfit Teddy to go to a warm weather team. I mention that because I know a buddy of mine had a very similar procedure done, and he gets pretty bad arthritis during the winter time..Maybe that’s the case with Bridgewater, maybe not…but it is something to consider..Regardless though, if he’s able to sign a contract next off season promising him a starting job, that’s basically the absolute best case scenario for Teddy Bridgewater..Maybe Miami chooses him over Tannehill?? We will just have to wait and see
You know what they say, the back up QB is the most popular guy on the team.