Will the Broncos Stick with Teddy Bridgewater in 2022?
“Picture 037” (CC BY 2.0) by Julio Enriquez
The Denver Broncos are seemingly out of the playoff hunt in 2021, and while, officially, things have not moved on, many fans have already turned their attention towards 2022. There are many big decisions for the franchise to make before players hit the field to start the 2022 season, but by far the biggest of those is what they do at quarterback.
These are the most important players on the roster, so it’s a decision that needs to be right. Those who bet on NFL will compare quarterbacks and make betting decisions based on who is playing in that position, such is the importance of these players.
Trade options are available to Denver, as are free agents, and of course, they could head to the draft and take a newbie. With many NFL draft tips available, fans love to work out who is ranked as the best quarterback in the draft, and where the other players stack up against each other. But there is one more option, and that is for Denver to simply stick with what they have already, and re-sign Teddy Bridgewater to a new deal, allowing him to continue play-calling duties in 2022.
Has Bridgewater Done Enough to Earn the Job?
It is fair to say that Teddy Bridgewater has done well for the Broncos, coming into the franchise over the summer after being traded for a 6th round pick. However, one of the biggest problems he faces is that his ceiling is very clear for all to see.
44-yards to the 🏠
Teddy Bridgewater found @Tpstreets for a @Broncos TD in this week’s Shot of the Week 🎥 pic.twitter.com/sfj1GlssJi
— Inside the NFL (@insidetheNFL) November 8, 2021
Bridgewater is not going to make the big, game-changing plays that some other quarterbacks can make. His strength is the simplicity of his play, and the very low-risk approach he brings to the field. He won’t shine for getting the big plays right, but at the same time, he also won’t fail completely, because he doesn’t play the type of game to disappoint.
One of the biggest problems that people have with Bridgewater is the fact that he struggles to get the very best from the Denver receivers, because of the lack of big plays. The biggest of those is Courtland Sutton, who signed a $60 million contract extension in November, but has struggled to connect with Bridgewater on a regular basis.
With Denver paying him so much money, and other wide receivers also struggling, could a change in quarterback be needed to bring out the best in those players?
If they do that, there are free-agent options such as Andy Dalton, Cam Newton, and Ryan Fitzpatrick all expected to hit the market next summer. The name Aaron Rodgers continues to come up too, alongside Russell Wilson, both may want a move at the end of their career and given that the Broncos have $48 million in free cap space this summer, they could certainly afford to go hard for one of them.
Whichever route the Broncos go down this summer will be interesting to follow, and the good news for the franchise is that they have a wide range of options open to them.
