Should Teddy Bridgewater be worried about P.J. Walker’s debut?
By Dean Jones
How worried should Teddy Bridgewater be?
Not very.
At least, initially.
This is Teddy Bridgewater’s team and he commanded the respect of the locker room instantly. We all know his limitations. But it’s hard to deny he isn’t the right man at this juncture for the Carolina Panthers.
It’s easy to be the flavor of the month during one performance against a less than stellar defense in Detroit. But putting together consistency once opposing teams get some solid film on you is the difference between the backups and the starters at quarterback in the NFL.
P.J. Walker can look back on his debut with a tremendous sense of pride and things might have been even better had he not thrown those two picks in the end zone. This should all-but assure he is the primary backup for the remainder of the campaign, but starting him over Bridgewater just isn’t the smart way to go.
Things might change in the next year or two if Walker continues to develop and shines when given the opportunity. Bridgewater worked exceptionally hard to earn this starting opportunity and has done well in his first prominent game time since 2015.
However, what comes next will be vital to his long-term aspirations.
And who knows? Maybe having Walker breathing down his neck might be the spark Bridgewater needs to take his game to new heights.