Denver Broncos Head Coach Vic Fangio told his team on Wednesday that Teddy Bridgewater will be the Broncos starting quarterback. As recently as Tuesday afternoon, Fangio said the competition was “pretty damn close” between Bridgewater, whom the Broncos acquired for a sixth-round pick ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft, and incumbent starter and 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock.
Bridgewater performed nearly flawless during his preseason campaign, completing 16-of-19 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and a 141.0 quarterback rating. Bridgewater led Denver’s offense to three touchdowns and one field goal, and completed 9-of-11 passes for 105 yards, one touchdown and a 136.7 rating in two series. Lock was nearly as impressive, finishing the preseason 14-of-21 for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and he impressed in a game vs. the Viking, completing 5-of-7 passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns
Bridgewater will enter his fourth season as a starter; he started 12 games as a rookie in Minnesota before leading the Vikings to an 11-5 record and a playoff spot. Bridgewater threw for 3,231 yards and 14 touchdowns that season, earning a Pro Bowl nod. Bridgewater was then off the field for all of 2016 and most of the 2017 season with a potentially career-ending knee injury, joining the Saints as a reserve player in 2018 and 2019, then returning to the starting lineup last season.
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