Teddy Bridgewater and the deep ball: An enduring question

Teddy Bridgewater might not have the camera-juking velocity of Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes, but if someone’s open down the field, he can hit them.

Now, while Mahomes tossed a 78-yard bomb at his pro day, and Vinny Testaverde set an NFL Quarterback Challenge record with an 80-yard throw on an open field back in ’88, the longest pass ever measured in a game was a 68.6-yard pass from Mahomes to Tyreek Hill in the 2018 preseason.

Having a range of around 50 yards is more than ample firepower in the NFL, and Teddy is fully capable of that. After having seen evidence of his deep ball, I’m far less concerned about his ability to put it up for the likes of KJ Hamler, Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Tim Patrick over the top.

Now that raw strength has been addressed, the remaining issue is a willingness to put it deep. For this, metrics can be helpful. ftnfantasy.com records the average depth of target, or aDOT, which measures how deep receivers were when targeted by a QB, by air yards and targets. In 2020, Teddy Bridgewater’s aDOT was 7.17 yards, putting him just behind NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers (7.37) and ahead of Rookie of the Year Justin Herbert (7.15).

Nobody is complaining about how Rodgers and Herbert don’t stretch the field. This isn’t to say there’s no validity to concerns about Teddy’s deep game, but I believe those are rooted more in impatience with his patient style of play. He takes what defenses give him. Most often in football, receivers are open in the short-intermediate areas of the field. So that’s who Teddy Bridgewater hits. Scheme up some deep shots, however and he’s more than capable of sending it up.

While he may not be able to make some of the off-platform, highlight-reel throws that Broncos country has drooled over Drew Lock for, I don’t expect the Denver passing game to lose the deep component with #5 under center.

Denver Broncos: 5 quarterbacks the team could stash for emergency

To avoid another Kendall Hinton fiasco, could Denver add a 4th QB to keep as an insurance policy? Here are some passers the Denver Broncos could consider.

Looking into this has allayed my concerns about the Bridgewater era, and there’s a lot to be excited about here. Vic lauded Teddy’s “Tom-Brady” like the ability to read the field, and with his vision, athleticism, and football IQ, I’m eager to see what our new quarterback can bring to the field.