Dwayne Haskins interest is an early indictment on Teddy Bridgewater
By Dean Jones
The impact of Dwayne Haskins’ visit on Teddy Bridgewater
Teddy Bridgewater is not an idiot. He knows that the Carolina Panthers were probably going to be looking for more competition at the quarterback spot in the coming months, but the fact they’ve moved so quickly to investigate a player who has flattered to deceive during his NFL career so far is more than a little concerning.
This is a red flag for Bridgewater.
And a challenge he must respond to.
Dwayne Haskins is not going to become a starter in Carolina overnight even if the team opts to give him a chance to fight it out at training camp. Regardless of whether he signs for the Panthers or not, it should make clear in no uncertain terms that Bridgewater’s time as the No. 1 option is hanging by a thread.
This is something he’s worked incredibly hard to achieve. It’s taken Bridgewater four years to become a starter once again after almost losing his leg during a training camp incident with the Minnesota Vikings and he will not want this opportunity to go out with a whimper.
All this might light a fire under Bridgewater. Even if the move to bring Haskins in for even a look is an early indictment of what the coaching staff thought of his overall contribution in 2020.
The 2021 preparation period is still in its infancy. There are sure to be plenty of twists and turns to come and all Bridgewater can do is focus on his own production and let the chips fall where they may.