Teddy Bridgewater Rumors: Saints, Dolphins and More Buzz for Free-Agent QB

A lack of quarterback demand could limit the options for free-agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The 26-year-old spent the past season backing up Drew Brees with the New Orleans Saints but could be a starting quarterback in the NFL. The problem is, there aren't enough teams around the NFL looking for someone to fill this role.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports provided the latest news surrounding Bridgewater:

The Jacksonville Jaguars are essentially out of the race after agreeing to a deal with Nick Foles for $88 million over four years, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (h/t Ian Rapoport). With this type of salary, they clearly aren't expecting a competition in training camp.

This leaves the Miami Dolphins as potentially the only team seeking an experienced starter this offseason.

Ryan Tannehill had been the starter but the squad is planning to trade or release the veteran before the start of the season, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.

Bridgewater could potentially replace him, and Monday Night Football analyst Booger McFarland believes they would be getting the best free agent at the position:

The 26-year-old hasn't been a regular starter since 2015, which was before he suffered a knee injury and has only played sparingly since. He made his first start in three years in Week 17 of last season, throwing one touchdown and one interception in a loss to the Carolina Panthers.

Despite his limited production, he has shown enough in his limited action for people to believe the 2014 first-round pick can finally live up to expectations.

Pro Football Focus (via ESPN.com) listed the quarterback as the one free agent Miami needed to sign:

"Bridgewater didn't get any real playing time in the 2018 regular season, but he did light up the preseason to the tune of an 80.9 overall grade, which ranked eighth out of 94 qualifying quarterbacks. He showed enough to prove that he's over his leg injury and can still become a great quarterback in the NFL."

On the other hand, the Dolphins have also shown interest in Tyrod Taylor, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. With the team potentially also drafting a quarterback of the future this April, Bridgewater could be far down the list.

This leaves him potentially accepting a backup job, and in that case, returning to the Saints would be an excellent decision.

As Mike Triplett of ESPN.com noted, the Saints might want to keep him as a future replacement for the 40-year-old Drew Brees. He could also potentially sign a short-term deal somewhere else and return to New Orleans when Brees is ready to hang it up.

The Saints sent a third-round pick to the New York Jets for Bridgewater last year, so it's clear the team likes him. If he showed enough in practice to re-sign with the club this offseason, he might be there for a long time.

With few readily available starting options around the league, this might be the best-case scenario for the young quarterback.