The quarterback competition is over in Denver.
The Broncos have announced that Teddy Bridgewater will start the season as Denver’s QB1, winning the job over incumbent starter Drew Lock. The franchise tweeted out the news on Wednesday morning.
Denver sent a 2021 sixth-round pick to Carolina in exchange for Bridgewater back in April. The trade was designed to have the QB compete with Lock. While both players displayed some flashes, head coach Vic Fangio has elected to go with the more experienced option.
Bridgewater was a full-time starter last year for the first time since suffering a career-threatening knee injury just before the start of the 2016 season. Bridgewater completed 69.1 percent of his passes last season for 3,733 yards with 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions with Carolina. He averaged a career-high 7.6 yards per attempt and compiled a 92.1 passer rating.
In 2019, Bridgewater started five games in place of an injured Drew Brees in New Orleans, leading the Saints to a 5-0 record. He threw for 1,384 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions that season.
Bridgewater will now become the fifth different Week One starting quarterback in the five years since the Broncos won Super Bowl 50.