After months of courting, and probably some back and forth on money, the Detroit Lions are signing quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. It's not official, and Bridgewater is not with the team yet, but head coach Dan Campbell talked as if it's a formality on Tuesday morning before the first of two joint practices against the New York Giants.
Bridgewater will arrive in town this week, but he will not play in Friday's preseason opener against the Giants. Campbell pointed to next week, heading into the second preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, as when Bridgewater will get fully rolling.
Dan Campbell said QB Teddy Bridgewater will be in Allen Park this week but isn't expected to play Friday in the preseason opener. Campbell said they'll get him in the mix next week against Jacksonville.
— Tim Twentyman (@ttwentyman) August 8, 2023
Campbell has not hidden his affinity for Bridgewater, rooted in the two seasons Bridgewater was with the New Orleans Saints when Campbell was the tight ends coach. It goes beyond physical skills, leaning into the traits that make Bridgewater an ideal backup quarterback.
The No. 2 quarterback spot was in need of an upgrade, and in August the Lions finally got it done.
Dan Campbell explains what Teddy Bridgewater brings to the table for the Lions
Via Ben Raven of MLive, Campbell was clear in his outline of what Bridgewater brings to the table for the Lions.
"I mean, I was with him, you know? When you’re with somebody for two years, you get a really good feel of what they’re capable of,” Campbell said Tuesday morning. “The way they’re wired. The way he thinks, and so I’ve seen him work. I’ve seen him run the offense. I’ve seen him in critical moments. I’ve seen him develop young talents (and) young receivers. We lost (Drew) Brees, he goes 5-0. He just went in there and he kept the ship afloat and just kept the heading right where we needed it. And that means a lot to me. And that’s all we need. To me, that’s one of the reasons we wanted him here.”"
Campbell referenced when Bridgewater went 5-0 starting in place of Drew Brees for the Saints during the 2019 season, completing nearly 68 percent of his passes with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Campbell noted how Bridgewater took time to work with the Saints' young receivers. With 65 starts on his resume, across several different offensive systems, the Lions' head coach doesn't see an issue for Bridgewater picking up the Lions' offense quickly.
"It’ll be, the bad news is it’ll be new terminology for him, so it’ll take him a minute just to get up to what we’re saying. The good news is, Teddy’s been in every system you can imagine right now. He’s been through probably six different verbiages, offenses, so he’ll know the concepts. It’s just a matter of, ‘OK, you’re calling it this, you’re calling it this. I’m able to do this.’ So, that’ll take a little bit. Listen, Teddy’s a pro. He’s going to study the heck out of it. He’ll pick it up. He’s going to pick it up pretty fast, so I’m not concerned.”"Dan Campbell
If something happens to Jared Goff this season, Bridgewater better addresses any concern of the Lions' offense remaining on track than Nate Sudfeld would. But what he'll bring behind the scenes, ideally without having to play much or at all, may be even more important.