4 options the Panthers have with Teddy Bridgewater in 2021
By Dean Jones
Draft Teddy Bridgewater’s replacement
The final – and perhaps most likely – option is for the Carolina Panthers to draft Teddy Bridgewater’s long-term replacement in the 2021 NFL Draft. It appears as if the decision-makers will be getting a top-five pick at worst next spring and with a new general manager coming into the organization with a fresh set of ideas, the writing might be on the wall for their current No. 1 option.
Just who will be available remains to be seen. It won’t be Trevor Lawrence, who is a lock for the first overall selection that is currently held by the Jacksonville Jaguars. But it remains to be seen whether the New York Jets are going to pull the trigger on Ohio State sensation Justin Fields at No. 2 overall.
The Bengals are at No. 3 and will not be going quarterback after taking Joe Burrow in 2020. So the Panthers might have their pick of the signal-callers not named Lawrence by the time they’re up.
Fields is a dynamic prospect that could become a franchise-altering player, although some of his performances this season for the Buckeyes have been less than stellar. BYU’s phenom Zach Wilson is another hot commodity with plenty of upsides and there remains some intrigue surrounding Trey Lance despite his lack of activity in 2020.
While none of these players would be able to start right away, sitting behind and learning from an experienced veteran such as Bridgewater during the transition process would be invaluable before they take over.