4 quarterback situations that are worse than the Panthers
By Dean Jones
Believe it or not, there are some quarterback situations across the NFL that are worse than the Carolina Panthers heading into the offseason.
It’s hard to envisage a situation where Teddy Bridgewater is the undisputed starter at quarterback when OTAs and training camp rolls around. The signal-caller made an indifferent start to life with the Carolina Panthers after signing a big-money deal in free agency and it’s clear that the major players within the organization are going to all they can in pursuit of securing somebody better this offseason.
Bridgewater’s numbers don’t look too bad on the face of things. The former first-round pick completed 69.1 percent of his passes for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, with a further five scores coming on the ground.
However, this does not tell the full story where the Louisville product is concerned.
The Carolina Panthers QB wilted down the stretch.
With the game on the line, Bridgewater wilted. He was 0-8 on game-winning or tying drives throughout the campaign and his confidence was waning down the stretch to such a degree that head coach Matt Rhule finally put the player out of his misery by benching him against the New Orleans Saints in their season finale.
The Panthers are reportedly going to be “aggressive” in their pursuit of Deshaun Watson, according to Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network. This would be a franchise-altering trade and one that could leave Bridgewater on the outside looking after just one season under center.
Make no mistake, owner David Tepper is going to have a huge say in this. The owner now has his guys in place and next on the billionaire’s list is finding a signal-caller who can get the Panthers into legitimate Super Bowl contention at the earliest possible opportunity.
It is a precarious situation that Carolina finds itself in. But here are four quarterback predicaments that are worse than the Panthers this offseason.
Situation No. 1
Indianapolis Colts
Philip Rivers has called it a day after a sensational 17-year career. The quarterback is sure to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame one day and although there were some who thought he would stick around for a second campaign with the Colts, he walks away knowing he left everything out on the field.
The Colts are now in a tricky spot. Jacoby Brissett is out of contract so it remains to be seen whether or not he’ll be back and they aren’t in the strongest position to acquire one of the top prospects at the position coming out of college.
Indianapolis might only be a couple of players away from really challenging. But they have a big offseason ahead with some big coaching staff names accepting roles elsewhere and stud tackle Anthony Castonzo also retiring.