NFL trade rumors: Saints dabbled with idea of Teddy Bridgewater trade
The Denver Broncos will rely on Teddy Bridgewater as their quarterback for the rest of their playoff push. The Broncos received trade interest from teams on Bridgewater's status at the trade deadline. However, the Broncos' biggest move at the deadline was trading away Von Miller.
Most notably, they received interest from the New Orleans Saints. The Saints know what Bridgewater is capable of as he went 5-0 in 2019 for them. The Saints are in dire need of a quarterback after losing Jameis Winston to a torn ACL. The Broncos had no interest in entertaining trading their starting quarterback.
Saints thought about Teddy Bridgewater trade
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was the one to report the trade interest the Saints had in Teddy Bridgewater.
Von Miller wasn’t the only #Broncos veteran who drew interest before last week’s trade deadline. They also had inquiries about Teddy Bridgewater — including from the #Saints — but never considered dealing their starting QB. @NFLGameDay @nflnetwork https://t.co/KBVUEHLcom
Teddy Bridgewater has been a solid quarterback this season. He's led the Broncos to a 4-4 record and is in the mix for the playoff race. As a result, the Broncos had no interest in trading Bridgewater and now trust him to end the season strong.
In the Broncos' four wins, Bridgewater has thrown zero interceptions. More impressively, he's completed 70 percent of his passes in those victories. In the Broncos' losses, he's thrown for five interceptions.
As Bridgewater has played, so have the Broncos. The Broncos are getting healthier on offense, with Jerry Jeudy returning in Week 8. With his supporting cast getting healthier, Bridgewater could be in for a strong second half of the season.
One area Bridgewater will need to improve on is getting rid of the ball quicker to avoid sacks. He's been sacked 22 times entering Week 9 and lost a fumble as a result.
NFL Times Sacked Leaders - 2021
Justin Fields (CHI) 26
Ryan Tannehill (TEN) 24
Baker Mayfield (CLE) 22
Jared Goff (DET) 22
Teddy Bridgewater (DEN) 22
Teddy Bridgewater would've been a good fit with the Saints
Although Bridgewater didn't end up with the Saints, it's fun to imagine what could've been. Bridgewater was efficient with the Saints, and going 5-0 was no small feat. That five-game audition is what led the Carolina Panthers to take a chance on him in 2020 as their full-time starter.
Sean Payton knows how to scheme his offense to maximize the talent he has available. Bridgewater doesn't take many deep shots, and throws closer to intermediate routes.
Payton knows Bridgewater's tendencies, and would change the offense to tailor it to Bridgewater. Instead, the Saints will rely on Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill to get them to the playoffs.