Bridgewater’s “survivor” mentality has readied him for QB battle

As the Denver Broncos begin training camp, it’s no question that quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is accustomed to playing with a new team in a different environment.

Bridgewater on bouncing around to different teams — “I’m a survivor. You can throw me in the jungle and I’m going to come out with a fur coat. It’s about surviving at this point. Every day I have my fire that’s lit and I’ve made an impact everywhere I’ve been.”

— Kendall Valenzuela (@kvalenzuela17) July 28, 2021

At 28 years old, Bridgewater has played for the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers, all before his trade to the Mile High City.

When asked about his feelings on bouncing around the league, Bridgewater’s answer gave a glimpse into why the veteran quarterback has made it this long in the league.

“I’m a survivor,” Bridgewater said. “You can throw me in the jungle and I’m gonna come out with a fur coat and a headband that I made out of some leaves. It’s just about surviving at this point.”

General manager George Paton brought Bridgewater to Denver with the notion that the veteran quarterback would bring healthy competition to Drew Lock and would ultimately help the team find “the guy.”

Bridgewater’s 2020 campaign with the Panthers saw him throw for 3,733 yards, with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

The veteran quarterback had many opportunities last season to take the Panthers’ starting job and make it his own, but his numbers went steadily down as the season ended, resulting in both head coach Matt Rhule and general manager Scott Fitterer being unable to commit to him.

But Bridgewater believes his journey to the Broncos is another opportunity to show what he is capable of.

“Every day, I have my fire that’s lit,” Bridgewater said. “God has placed me in different positions for a reason and I’ve made an impact everywhere that I’ve been. So for me, this is an opportunity to just come in and compete.”

Whichever quarterback wins the competition will have a tall task of digging the Broncos out of one of the worst stretches in franchise history.

Since 2015, the Broncos have the worst Total QBR (45.2) in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Denver also hasn’t been to the playoffs since winning Super Bowl 50.

Between Bridgewater and Lock, one quarterback will have to put his past difficulties behind him and lead this talented roster to a (hopefully) winning season.