Without McCaffrey, or what you'd call stability up front, or a veteran receiving target at tight end, the Panthers managed five wins last season (one coming when Bridgewater was out against the Lions).
So you could see a situation where adding the parts around him could make Bridgewater, and thus the team, better. How much better? That's a different and more complicated question.
"I think every player is evaluated strictly off the body of work that they do and making sure that we're putting them in positions to have success," offensive coordinator Joe Brady said in late December. "I don't think you can evaluate guys by saying, 'How would it be if we had that person?'
"What we've loved about Teddy is he's been consistent with his approach every week. No matter wins or losses, he's been prepared and ready to go each week."
Of course, part of the reason this is a conversation at all falls on Bridgewater himself. He didn't play well over the last month-and-a-half of the season, though dissecting how much of that's on him and how much the situation around him makes for great talk radio and Twitter fodder.
But having opened the door to speculation about his future with his own play, Bridgewater can't be surprised when names stack up to fill the offseason vacuum.
And they're going to continue to stack up.
That's not the same, however, as any of them walking through the door.
If there's a big fish to be acquired at the position, the Panthers don't necessarily have the right bait. Picking eighth overall, there will be teams with equivalent-or-greater needs at the position who can make a better offer in terms of draft slots (such as the Jets, who pick second).
And if you're not landing a big fish, it's fair to wonder whether other options (including free agents, guys available in trade, and guys who become available after their team drafts or trades for one) are actually better options.
Their current draft position also means they can't plan for certain that they'll take one in April.
During the offseason, draftable quarterbacks often become commodified, as if every "young quarterback" has an equivalent chance to become Patrick Mahomes.
They do not, and the reality is, few will. It's also unclear whether, given time to evaluate the consensus top four picks, that the Panthers would consider all four of them good fits for what they want to do in the future. After watching tape, and talking to coaches, it's possible that a name that gets mentioned a lot between now and the draft might not be in the mix at all.
It's a lot to digest.
It's also the second day of February.
But with every move that's made at the quarterback position around the league this offseason, it's possible the Panthers might not make any moves at all, and move forward with the one they made a year ago.
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February 02, 2021 at 08:06PM
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Many quarterback options for Panthers, including incumbent - Panthers.com
"many" - Google News
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