Broncos trade for Teddy Bridgewater raises ceiling but still caps team

Teddy Bridgewater is simultaneously an upgrade for the Denver Broncos at quarterback while also still capping their ultimate ceiling, which is a fascinating conundrum. 

What felt inevitable ultimately was as, on Wednesday and the eve of the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos traded for quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, acquiring the veteran from the Carolina Panthers in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this weekend’s draft proceedings.

This was a natural deal to be made given the state of the Denver offense and Carolina looking to find Bridgewater a new home. In trading for Bridgewater, the Broncos clearly upgrade the quarterback room in a way they were looking to. The veteran signal-caller raises the ceiling of a talented offense that young Drew Lock simply looked incapable of taking advantage of.

Especially after a productive free agency in which the team re-signed Justin Simmons and Shelby Harris while also adding Kyle Fuller and Ronald Darby, Denver is in a spot where they can compete for a spot in the postseason right now. To make that happen, though, they needed to raise the ceiling of the offense.

Bridgewater accomplishes that. While the offense may have been a crapshoot with Lock at the helm, they can be a steady and productive unit with their new quarterback. That will allow their star-laden defense to shine and lead the way.

However, the fact that it raises the ceiling to make the team more competitive is a bit of a catch-22 for Denver.

The Broncos can make the playoffs with Teddy Bridgewater but how far can they go thereafter?

This is not to knock on Teddy Bridgewater but he’s far from a superstar. He’s a limited quarterback that can make enough plays to win games with a strong supporting cast around him, something he proved when he was asked to fill in for Drew Brees while with the Saints. At the same time, though, he’s not a player who elevates an offense entirely as much as he is a player who can adequately utilize the talent around him.

That creates a conundrum for the Broncos as they complete this trade. Bridgewater being added to this roster allows them the opportunity to play their way into the playoffs. However, we saw with both the Rams and 49ers that not having a top-tier quarterback once you get into the playoffs can only get you but so far in the modern NFL. At a certain point, a team needs its signal-caller to make big plays in big moments.

From everything we’ve seen, Bridgewater is not the player to do that. Subsequently, it feels as if the Broncos are simultaneously raising their ceiling and capping it. They are now a quality playoff team but they feel as if they’ll fall short of the ultimate goal of winning a Super Bowl with Bridgewater leading the way.

Subsequently, it’s difficult to know where to come in on the Broncos trading for Teddy Bridgewater. On one hand, he’s a clear upgrade at a position where they direly needed such a move — but the question will be if he’s enough of an upgrade to achieve the ultimate goal of all 32 NFL teams.