Panthers want Teddy Bridgewater to replace Cam Newton

If the Panthers trade Cam Newton it doesn’t mean they are tanking. Carolina wants to sign Teddy Bridgewater to replace him at the quarterback position.

The Panthers didn’t hire Matt Rhule and Joe Brady to build a toothless offense in 2020. That’s why Carolina isn’t going to be content to trade Cam Newton and spend a year waiting around to identify a new franchise quarterback.

Instead, the Panthers want to ink Teddy Bridgewater to be their new starting signal caller.

To win the race to sign the former Saints backup, the Panthers will need to outbid the competition. Teams like the Patriots are still snooping around Bridgewater at the moment. Officials in Carolina will try to convince the 27-year-old quarterback that he’ll experience more success in Brady’s cutting edge passing attack.

That might not translate to more wins for the Panthers in 2020, but it could be a lot of fun for fans to watch. The Panthers have two young potential stars at the wide receiver position in the form of D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel. Giving them a high quality passer is imperative for Carolina if they want to accelerate their development as potential Pro Bowlers.

Bridgewater doesn’t have the size or arm strength that made Newton so successful during his tenure with the team, but his ability to push the ball down the field with real accuracy would be a big boost for the Panthers. Even when Newton has been on the field during the last several seasons he’s often been one of the NFL’s most inaccurate throwers.

It’s not as if Bridgewater can’t make a play on the edge either. He’s still got above average mobility for an NFL starter. Brady’s offense isn’t going to rely on a ton of running from the quarterback position, but he would like to sign a quarterback who can make throws on the run. Bridgewater is tailor-made for that sort of offense.

Bridgewater’s biggest benefit to the team would be instilling a sense of calm at the quarterback position. Newton’s been in and out of the lineup so often during the last two years that the Panthers roster never really knew what his status was going to be from week to week. Signing an established player like Bridgewater would give Carolina a signal caller they could pencil into the starting lineup on a weekly basis.

Bridgewater will never become the star Newton was at his peak, but he’s a much better option for the Panthers at the current point in time. Giving Brady a quarterback of this caliber to work with could make Carolina more competitive than people expect in 2020.