Miami Northwestern legend Teddy Bridgewater is coming home to back up Tua Tagovailoa
Teddy Bridgewater is coming home to Miami.
The Miami Dolphins are bringing in the quarterback on a one-year deal with $6.5 million guaranteed to back up Tua Tagovailoa. Bridgewater, who graduated from Miami Northwestern Senior High School and often returns home to watch his alma mater play on Fridays, spent the past two years as the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers and then the Denver Broncos, but will move into a backup role as he joins his hometown team.
Bridgewater can sign with the Dolphins on Wednesday when free agency officially begins. Monday was the beginning of the NFL’s legal negotiating period.
Last year, Bridgewater started 14 games and went 285 of 426 for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions, plus 30 carries for 106 yards and two touchdowns with one fumble lost. He was a Pro Bowler in 2015 for the Minnesota Vikings before a serious knee injury forced him to miss the entire 2016 NFL season and derailed his career.
His career got back on track during the 2019 NFL season when he started five games while Drew Brees was injured and led the New Orleans Saints to a 5-0 record. He parlayed it into a chance to start for the Panthers and started 29 games in the last two seasons.
Those seasons were spent on teams with unsettled quarterback situations, though. Miami continues to throw its support behind Tagovailoa, meaning Bridgewater, 29, will in all likelihood be stuck in a reserve role.
Tagovailoa, however, has missed significant time with various injuries throughout the early part of his NFL career, which means having a capable backup is very important for the Dolphins and Bridgewater is one of the best in the league.
Assuming this is the role Bridgewater takes, next year will be the second straight season Miami has had a South Florida native as Tagovailoa’s backup. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who graduated from William T. Dwyer High School in Palm Beach Gardens, started five games last year while Tagovailoa was injured. He’ll officially become a free agent Wednesday.
This story was originally published March 14, 2022 at 5:09 PM.
