The Detroit Lions hosted free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for a visit on Monday. It was a continuation of a courtship that began early in the offseason, one that purportedly included a “strong offer” from the Lions to the veteran backup.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell was asked about the visit during his pre-practice press conference on Tuesday morning. Campbell is clearly a fan of Bridgewater and what the 30-year-old journeyman might offer to Detroit.
“Yeah, we kind of kept – we’ve kept in touch with Teddy, and we’ve kept Nate (Sudfeld) abreast about that too. We hadn’t hidden anything and so it went well. Gave us a chance to sit down with him face-to-face, particularly Ben (Johnson) and (Mark Brunell) Bru and Brad (Holmes). Gets me face-to-face with him again and then just the medical. It was good. It was a good visit. We’ll see where it goes.”
The Lions brought back 2022 backup Nate Sudfeld and he’s looked solid in the offseason practice sessions. But he lacks the starting experience and pedigree of Bridgewater, who has started 65 games in his NFL career, which dates back to 2014.
Campbell didn’t want his words to be interpreted as any dissatisfaction with Sudfeld but rather as a chance to try and make his team better,
“It’s the competition. It doesn’t mean that Nate’s out of anything if we go this route, if it works out. You’ll feel good about whoever comes out of the fire is going to be the right guy to help you along the way, but yeah, you don’t want the wheels to fall off.”
Campbell didn’t hide his admiration for Bridgewater, however. The two were together in New Orleans in the 2018 and 2019 seasons.
“Certainly – I don’t think I’ve hidden anything about my feelings for Teddy Bridgewater, so if we can add a guy like Teddy and bring competition to the room, I’m all for it,” Campbell stated.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Bridgewater remains a free agent.
