How good was Teddy Bridgewater before his injury? We asked Football Outsiders.

The Football Outsiders Almanac 2018 is now available for sale. It is a thorough preview for all things football in 2018.

This week we have had a Q and A with Rivers McCown, who wrote the chapter previewing the Jets.

Sam Darnold is not the only young quarterback the Jets have. Teddy Bridgewater is also on the roster at the moment, looking to rebuild his career after a devastating knee injury two years ago.

The first few years of Bridgewater’s career are a topic of debate. How good was he in 2014 and 2015? I asked Rivers his take.

Putting aside Teddy Bridgewater’s injury, what did his play in his first two seasons suggest about his career trajectory?

Trajectory is a weird word to use about Bridgewater’s first two seasons because I would argue his second season was entirely ensconced by the black hole that was Minnesota’s offensive line in 2015. It was a miracle that Bridgewater only took five more sacks than his rookie season.

The book on Bridgewater at that point was that the changes on the offensive line were supposed to help him grow. He was a smart, low-turnover quarterback with a maligned deep arm. Oops, I set off the Chad Pennington alarm, didn’t I? My apologies. How Bridgewater would have done in 2016 and 2017 is one of the better what-ifs of the last 10 years in the NFL. I’m just hoping he stays healthy enough to show a fraction of what once was.