LA Chargers sign or pass: Teddy Bridgewater

Why the Chargers should pass on Bridgewater

Bridgewater has a lot of limitations to his game. While he is good enough to win and is reluctant to attempt tough throws, sometimes his shortcomings can produce turnovers or sacks.

While I described Bridgewater as patient earlier in the article, sometimes that can become a weakness in his game. Since his rookie season, he has held on tho the ball too long on too many occasions.

He takes too long in his reads, especially early in games. When that happens, he misses windows to make plays down the field, and that usually results in short completions and missed opportunities.

That’s not a big problem when you have the Saints’ elite offensive line, as well as Thomas or Jared Cook working the middle of the field. However, in Minnesota where he didn’t have a good offensive line or as much receiving talent as the Saints, that resulted in too many sacks. In his first two years, he was sacked 83 times in 28 starts.

That also produced interceptions on plays where he was late on his reads and therefore, late on his throws.

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All of this points to Bridgewater being an ideal quarterback for talented teams with elite offensive lines and receiving talent.

He couldn’t have landed in a better spot than New Orleans, and that is probably where he should stay, even if it means backing up Brees for another year.

Should he opt to chase the money in free agency, the Chargers may not be his best option in terms of fit within the offense.

Keenan Allen can be a quarterback’s best friend, especially for a quarterback like Bridgewater. However, his receiving partner’s talent would be severely underutilized.

Mike Williams‘ production and development would probably suffer a lot. The Chargers would also have to revamp the offensive line if they want to put Bridgewater in a position to succeed, and with the money he’s already taking against the salary cap, that would be tough to do.

The Chargers are also looking to go mobile at the quarterback position, and while Bridgewater has better athleticism than he’s credited for, he is not suited for the style of offense that Anthony Lynn is looking to run.

If the choice is to run with Tyrod Taylor, who is a lesser talent but much more mobile, at a $7.5 million cap hit, or Bridgewater with a $25 million cap hit, the smart choice is very clear.

Should the Chargers sign or pass on Bridgewater?

The answer: Pass