Teddy Bridgewater will start at Quarterback for first time since 2016

Former beloved Louisville football star, Teddy Bridgewater, has come a long way since his knee injury. After serving as a back up all season, Bridgewater will finally get to make his first Saints start in week 17.

The New Orleans Saints have been one of the NFL’s best team this season, winning their 13th game of the season yesterday in thrilling fashion against the Pittsburgh Steelers. The play of Drew Brees, who’s now in his 17th season, has been incredible this season and it’s one of many reasons why the Saints clinched home field advantage yesterday.

Now with nothing to lose (except for a major injury) heading into week 17, the New Orleans Saints will give their backup quarterback and dancing genius, Teddy Bridgewater, his first start since the 2016 NFL Playoffs, according to a report from the Athletic.

It’s been quite the road for Bridgewater, who looked to be turning the corner and headed toward becoming the long time starter for the Minnesota Vikings, until a gruesome knee injury in practice on a routine play set back the career of Bridgewater by several years.

It took nearly two years for Bridgewater to get back to play in the NFL, which he did at this same time last season (week 17) for the Minnesota Vikings in what was honestly one of the coolest moments I’ve ever witnessed on TV. Bridgewater would throw one pass, which was picked off by the Bengals, but it didn’t matter. The Vikings had locked up home field advantage, and Bridgewater had done what he said he’d do all along, return to the NFL on his own terms.

Minnesota would make a business decision to not bring back Bridgewater, after signing Kirk Cousins, which led to Teddy signing a lucrative one year deal with the New York Jets, who had just drafted Sam Darnold, in what was setting up to be a one year audition for the rest of the NFL.

Bridgewater dominated in the preseason for New York throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns in just three games of action. But with the emergence of Sam Darnold, Bridgewater was no longer needed and was traded away to a place where he’d have a chance once again to prove he was ready to be a long-term starter. That place was the New Orleans Saints, as they elected to give up a 2019 third round pick for a valuable backup with playoff experience to future hall of famer, Drew Brees.

Now with the Saints locking up the NFC’s #1 seed, Brees will head to the bench for a week to rest up, and Teddy Bridgewater will return back to the field as a starting QB in the NFL once again. He’s waited all season for this opportunity, doing what every coach prays their QB will do, be ready when the time calls.

In the mean time, Bridgewater has become internet famous for his dance moves after each of the Saints last several wins. If anything, we’ve learned that when football is over for Bridgewater, Dancing with the Stars will absolutely be an option for him.

The outcome of the game once again will not matter for Bridgewater. Instead it will be the accomplishment of going through something so horrific that it left many to wonder whether he’d ever play the game of football again, and returning to do it again at the highest level for the NFL’s top team.

Whether it’s signing back with New Orleans once again to backup Drew Brees, or signing with a QB needy team like the New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars, or Miami Dolphins, Teddy Bridgewater will stop at nothing to prove he’s still a capable NFL QB.

Teddy, you dancing son of a gun, all of Louisville will be behind you. Go show ’em what we all know you can do.