Dan Campbell explains why Teddy Bridgewater will be great for the Lions

The Detroit Lions finally signed quarterback Teddy Bridgewater on Monday after a muti-month courtship. I for one think it's a big signing and indicative of where the Lions feel they're at right now. Lions head coach Dan Campbell took to the podium on Tuesday to give his thoughts on why Bridgewater was an important signing […]

Mike Payton — Detroit Lions Beat Writer

Aug 8, 2023 10:07 AM EDT

"Well, I was with him… when you're with somebody for two years, you get a really good feel of what they're capable of and the way they're wired, the way he thinks and so I've seen him work,” Campbell told reporters. “I've seen him run the offense. I've seen him in critical moments. I've seen him develop young talent, young receivers. You know, we lost Brees, he goes 5-0 and he just, you know, he went in there and he kept the ship afloat and just kept it heading right where we needed it. And that means a lot to me. And that's all we need. And so to me, that's, that's one of the reasons I wanted him here."

Campbell is of course referring to the 2019 season when the Saints lost Brees for five games. Bridgewater came in and threw for 1,205 yards, nine touchdowns and two interceptions. He completed 69.7 percent of his passes during that time and the Saints won five straight games.

An interesting note that Campbell brought up is how valuable Bridgewater can be for the Lions receivers instead of just for Hendon Hooker.

"I mean, those receivers, you know, I mean, that was something he did really good for us,” said Campbell. “He would come in day before the game and he would take those young receivers out, go through the whole game plan, tell them what they're looking for. Here's the coverage. Here's what I'm thinking how you running this now. I don't like that. He ran the scout teams. He was competitive running cards. That was just awesome, man. He's that type of guy. He's an unbelievable teammate, and he's a pro he's a vet. he handles his business."

That's something that I hadn't even thought of when the Lions signed him. Bridgewater can just bring so much to the table in terms of helping young players. It just makes this signing even bigger.

As far as the notion that this signing is indicative of how the Lions feel about their team and their chances to do big things in 2023, here's what Campbell had to say.

"Yeah, I mean, certainly we feel pretty good about where we're at. You know, and I think in in a three year period, this is the best we felt about this roster like that we have the most, you know, we have the most game ready, I would say most competitive ready that and so it only made sense to us. Just hey, let's bring in a guy that can compete here and they go back and forth. We'll figure it out. But if something happens, you know, you want to feel like, ‘Man, there again, you can keep the ship afloat.’ And and we play with three phases here: offense, defense, and special teams."

It's safe to say that the Lions feel pretty goof about their team and that Dan Campbell is a big fan of Teddy Bridgewater.

Lastly, Campbell did note that Bridgewater shouldn't be expected to see any field time with the Lions this week. He'll join the team next week.