4 Free agent quarterbacks Cleveland Browns should target as backups in 2022

Cleveland Browns QB Target: Teddy Bridgewater

Teddy Bridgewater has been a starter in the NFL for many years. He was originally drafted by the Minnesota Vikings; a place Browns coach Kevin Stefanski is very familiar with and a player that certainly Stefanski spent a lot of time with as he worked with the quarterbacks throughout the years he was with the Vikings as an assistant coach.

After a serious leg injury in 2016, he went on to play with other teams like the New Orleans Saints as a backup. In the last two seasons, he’s returned to a starting role with the Carolina Panthers last season and the Denver Broncos this year.

When he came to Cleveland earlier this year, he played a good first half before suffering an injury in the game. With that in mind, the injury bug is Bridgewater’s biggest concern if he were to go play for another team. He’s a free agent this offseason and he’s 29 years old but is a very athletic quarterback as well.

The Broncos are paying Bridgewater $4.25 million this year. I suspect the Broncos will look elsewhere next year for a new starter. Would Bridgewater settle to becoming a backup again? If it were for a team like the Browns, I believe that he would.

Back in 2014, the Browns took Johnny Manziel as their quarterback of the future, likely one of the biggest busts of all time. They could have taken Bridgewater in that draft and some analysts thought they might back then. Instead, they took one Justin Gilbert, a cornerback out of Oklahoma State. That was another huge mistake by the Browns. Now they might look to Bridgewater to be the guy to replace Mayfield if necessary next season.