Dan Campbell All for Adding Teddy Bridgewater

The veteran quarterback formed a strong impression on Detroit's coach.

Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell took a liking to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater during the two seasons they spent together with the New Orleans Saints. 

The 2018 and 2019 seasons pitted the duo together, with Bridgewater being the backup quarterback and Campbell the tight ends coach. 

Fast forward to 2023, and the Lions recently hosted the veteran on a visit to their Allen Park facility Monday. A signing was not imminent at the conclusion of the meeting, according to reports.

Though the team has praised the efforts of current backup Nate Sudfeld, the strong impression formed by Bridgewater during his time with the Saints has his former assistant coach open to a reunion. 

"I don't think I've hidden anything about my feelings for Teddy Bridgewater," said Campbell. "So, if we can add a guy like Teddy and add competition to the room, then I'm all for it."

When asked about potential interest in adding Teddy Bridgewater, Dan Campbell said "If we can add a guy like Teddy and add competition to the room, then I'm all for it."

— Christian Booher (@CBooher_) July 25, 2023

Most significantly, Bridgewater went 5-0 in 2019 as the Saints' starting quarterback, when Drew Brees went down with a torn ligament in his throwing hand. 

He was 5-1 in six starts during his two-year stint with the team, and threw for 1,502 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Interest between the two parties was first reported prior to the draft. The Lions added Hendon Hooker in the third round of the draft, but he is on the NFI list recovering from a torn ACL. 

With Sudfeld the leader at the backup spot behind Jared Goff, the Lions kept him in the loop regarding their interest in Bridgewater. 

"We've kept in touch with Teddy, and we've kept Nate abreast of that, we haven't hidden anything," the coach explained. "It went good, got us a chance to sit down with him face to face, particularly Ben (Johnson), (Mark Brunell) and Brad (Holmes). Gets me face to face with him again, and then just the medical." 

The decision to court the 30-year-old stems from a desire to find the best backup option behind Goff. 

Given his experience as a starter and in different schemes across the league, the Louisville product is among the best quarterbacks still on the free-agent market.

"Here we go, man, we're year three, and I think we're in a much better position and you want to know that you are in the best hands possible," Campbell said, knocking on the wood of the podium. "I'll leave it at that. It's the competition, it doesn't mean Nate's out of anything, if we go this route and if it works out. You'll feel good about whoever comes out of the fire is gonna be the right guy to help you along the way. But, yeah, you don't want the wheels to fall off."