Saints made a mistake in letting Teddy Bridgewater get away

The New Orleans Saints have been forced to adjust in more ways than one over the past week. Trevor Siemian started at quarterback in Week 9 in the wake of Jameis Winston’s season-ending ACL injury against Tampa Bay the week before. The cherry on top was Michael Thomas announcing that he won’t be playing at all this year. Given the circumstances, New Orleans could use Teddy Bridgewater.

That’s not a knock at Siemian. He entered the game in the second quarter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 8 and helped to pave the way to a 36-27 win over the defending Super Bowl champions. In last Sunday’s 27-25 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, Siemian went 25-for-41 for 249 yards and two touchdowns. The wide receiver group are the ones who went missing.

Still, if Bridgewater were still on the roster, that’d be a huge advantage for the Saints. He stepped in during the 2019 season after Drew Brees was out for five games with a UCL tear in his thumb. Bridgewater went 5-0 that year as a starter and overall threw for 1,502 yards, 10 touchdowns, and three interceptions in 14 games during his two-year stint in New Orleans.

Bridgewater left Louisiana for North Carolina in 2020 and is now in Denver with the Broncos. It didn’t make sense why the Saints let Bridgewater leave a little over a year-and-a-half ago. It surely doesn’t make sense now considering the team’s questionable quarterback depth, which is why New Orleans inquired about Bridgewater before last week’s trade deadline. If only he were still a Saint.

The New Orleans Saints could use Teddy Bridgewater

The truth is, Bridgewater never should’ve left New Orleans. In 2020 with Carolina, he threw for 3,733 yards, 15 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 15 games. Panthers fans don’t hold the same love in their heart for Bridgewater that Saints fans do after the team finished with a 5-11 record last year. He’s now in Colorado and has thrown for 2,163 yards, 14 touchdowns, and five interceptions in nine games.

Sean Payton has a history of winning regardless of who’s taking snaps under center and with Bridgewater’s presence, New Orleans wouldn’t be in the same predicament that they’re in now. If he would’ve stayed with the Saints, he might’ve been the starter going into the start of the year. Instead of going to the Panthers and having a tough year, Bridgewater could be holding the reins to New Orleans’ offense.

The Broncos are starting to see how promising Bridgewater can be, which is why they didn’t field any offers for him prior to the deadline. Denver beat Dallas last weekend, 30-16, and Bridgewater went 19-of-28 for 249 yards and one touchdown. The Saints let the quarterback slip through their fingers and now he’s making a name for himself in a new city after having an “off” year.

Bridgewater got to play under and learn from Brees himself. He put New Orleans in a position to win games. He knows the playbook and what it’s like to play under Payton.

The Saints were 5-2 after the win against Tampa Bay, but are now 5-3 and could continue to unravel. Siemian and Taysom Hill aren’t bad alternatives to Winston by any means, but Bridgewater could provide some much-needed stability right now.

Is Bridgewater the one that got away?