August 28, 2016. That is the last time Teddy Bridgewater played a down of football. It was a Week 3 23-10 Pre-season victory for his Minnesota Vikings over the San Diego Chargers where he threw for 161 yards and a touchdown. It was three days later that Bridgewater suffered a knee injury that some thought could be career ending. Now, a little over one year later, Bridgewater has been cleared to start practicing again. Although Bridgewater will start to practice he will not immediately be taken off of the PUP list according to coach Mike Zimmer, but he is expected to play at some point this year.
The news of Bridgewater being cleared to begin practicing could not come at a better time, as Sam Bradford suffered what could possibly be a career threatening knee injury of his own. Along with that, the NFC North is up for grabs now that Aaron Rodgers is out with a potentially season ending collar bone injury.
Minnesota currently sits at 4-2 tied with Green Bay for first place in the division and getting Bridgewater back at some point would likely be a huge advantage if he could be close to the same player he was in 2015. In that season he helped lead the Vikings to an 11-5 season along with a playoff appearance. Many people will remember that playoff game for the missed Blair Walsh field goal that allowed for the Seattle Seahawks to leave Minnesota with a playoff victory. As devastating as that game was for Minnesota fans, it was also a look into what was supposed to be a bright future. It marked a season where their second year QB led their team to the postseason along with their rookie phenom Stefon Diggs emerging as a top receiving threat. Getting Bridgewater back will have a huge impact on the future of this Minnesota team.
We do not know exactly when Bridgewater will be making his playing debut this season, but it is good to see that his injury was not as devastating as we once thought and I for one look forward to seeing him back in action.