Bridgewater wins Broncos' QB battle over Lock
The Denver Broncos will open the season with their fifth different quarterback in as many years.
Teddy Bridgewater will start Denver's Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 12, head coach Vic Fangio announced Wednesday.
Bridgewater was competing for the job with Drew Lock, who posted a 4-9 record while producing 18 turnovers over 13 starts last season. Fangio said there wasn't much separating the two passers.
"Both guys had good camps. They both played well, they both had their down moments, had their good moments," Fangio said, according to ESPN's Jeff Legwold.
"We just made this decision because it's best for the team moving forward right now," he added. "We have two good quarterbacks, two quarterbacks we can win with."
Bridgewater joined the club after being traded from the Carolina Panthers this offseason. The 28-year-old, who's also logged starts for the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints, was 4-11 with the Panthers last year while tossing for 3,733 yards and 15 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. The former Pro Bowler is 26-23 as a starter throughout his career.
Denver, which hasn't made the playoffs in five seasons, has struggled to find a reliable starting quarterback since Peyton Manning retired in 2015. The Broncos have fielded four different Week 1 signal-callers since 2017:
| Season | Quarterback |
|---|---|
| 2017 | Trevor Siemian |
| 2018 | Case Keenum |
| 2019 | Joe Flacco |
| 2020 | Drew Lock |
Lock hasn't been able to meet Denver's expectations after entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2019. The Missouri product is 8-10 as a starter while posting just 23 touchdowns to 18 interceptions and completing 59% of his pass attempts.
The pair entered training camp splitting first-team snaps, and each of them started one preseason game. Bridgewater completed 16 of 19 throws for 179 yards and two touchdowns in those contests, with the Broncos scoring three touchdowns and one field goal with him on the field.
Meanwhile, Lock has thrown for 232 yards and two touchdowns on 14-of-21 passing this preseason. The 24-year-old led Denver to two touchdowns and three field goals, but two other drives ended in punts and one in a turnover on downs.