Teddy Bridgewater’s career might be in jeopardy.
The Minnesota Vikings quarterback is sidelined for the entire 2016 season after suffering a serious knee injury during a non-contact drill at practice on Aug. 30, and there’s apparently some concern over whether he’ll ever find his way back onto an NFL gridiron.
“Teddy Bridgewater continues to rehab in Minnesota and he is making progress. Nearly two months after he dislocated his knee, Bridgewater is making strides and Vikings officials are pleased with where he’s at,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday on “NFL Countdown,” per CBS Sports’ Will Brinson. “But other doctors around the league know there are no guarantees Bridgewater will be able to return to the type of quarterback he was, if he makes it back to the NFL at all.
“As one doctor who’s worked with NFL teams said this week, ‘If he didn’t make it back, it wouldn’t surprise me. This is a bad injury, about the worst knee injury a player can have.’ ”
With the exception of Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Vikings haven’t skipped a beat in Bridgewater’s absence. The reigning NFC North champions are off to a 5-1 start thanks to their vaunted defense, and quarterback Sam Bradford, who was acquired from the Eagles following Bridgewater’s injury, has been solid for the most part this season.
Still, the idea that Bridgewater might never be the same, if he makes it back to the NFL at all, is troubling. The former first-round pick made strides in his sophomore season in 2015, solidifying himself as one of the league’s better up-and-coming signal-callers, and he looked like a breakout candidate for this season before suffering the gruesome injury.
Of course, the doctors expressing concern across the league presumably don’t have the same detailed information about Bridgewater’s status that the Vikings do, so let’s hope the 23-year-old continues on the right path and can find his way back onto the field at some point.
Thumbnail photo via Brace Hemmelgarn/USA TODAY Sports Images
