Can Teddy Bridgewater help Will Grier reach his potential?

Quarterback Will Grier suffered his fair share of struggles during his first season with the Carolina Panthers, but will Teddy Bridgewater help him improve?

It became evident early on that Will Grier was not going to have any immediate success when he took the field for the Carolina Panthers. He was thrown in at the deep end and looked flustered behind an offensive line that struggled in pass protection all season.

This was not an ideal situation for the former third-round pick. But it was something the Carolina Panthers couldn’t avoid given the injury to Cam Newton and the substantial drop-off in production of Kyle Allen.

With Newton and Allen now moved on to pastures new. Grier will get the chance to make the No. 2 spot his own despite the eye-catching presence of XFL MVP candidate P.J. Walker.

Having someone like Teddy Bridgewater on the roster is also set to aid Grier’s early development considerably. There is a chance that his exploits late in the player’s rookie campaign would have knocked his confidence. So sitting and learning from someone like the former first-round pick could be just what he needs.

Grier already likes what he sees from Bridgewater despite the lack of face-to-face time due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"“He’s got just a very calm presence about him, a good pocket presence, a good balance in the pocket. His throws look effortless. He’s got really calm feet. He makes really good touch throws all over the field. In a lot of the cut-ups you see, he’s got a really good presence about him. Just watching on film, you can tell he’s a prepared guy. His brain doesn’t seem like it’s in override while he’s playing. He just seems like he knows what’s going on. He’s deliberate about what he’s doing.”"

If Grier was searching for a veteran role model in 2019, then he was out of luck. Newton was a distant presence on the roster due to his injury problems and Allen was unproven himself despite a blistering start to life under center.

Having a more stable presence to call upon for advice and guidance is going to be a massive asset to the player as he enters his sophomore campaign.