What Panthers QBs Teddy Bridgewater, PJ Walker have done to prepare for training camp
One of the biggest challenges this offseason for players was the lack of information available. Not being able to see how things would look in the coming months or being able to put together a training schedule for players because the situation surrounding COVID-19 resulted in an NFL schedule that was, and remains, filled with unknowns.
Being ready at a moment’s notice was important. Perhaps no NFL team needed that extra time to work more than the Panthers who had an entirely new coaching staff in addition to their overhauled quarterback room with Cam Newton now up north in New England and Kyle Allen in Washington.
Three months removed from when the veterans were first scheduled to practice at Bank of America Stadium, Teddy Bridgewater and P.J. Walker arrived at Bank of America Stadium on Thursday to begin working there for the first time. The only constant in the quarterback room, Will Grier, will return for a second season with an almost entirely new coaching staff
Teddy Bridgewater
Most eyes will be on Bridgewater to see how he can live up to once again being a team’s starting quarterback. His familiarity with offensive coordinator Joe Brady from their time together in New Orleans will no doubt help him with the limited practice time prior to the start of the regular season.
Becoming a team leader is difficult to do virtually. He has been in South Florida preparing for the season and often practicing with fellow new Panthers wide receivers Robby Anderson, Seth Roberts and occasionally Keith Kirkwood.
But last month coach Matt Rhule expressed how he was impressed by Bridgewater thus far, while pointing out that not being able to be around his teammates wasn’t something the quarterback enjoyed.
“He’s really, really intelligent in two ways. A. football ... we have meetings where like he’ll run the meeting ... and the level of, not even detail, but understanding and reasoning behind it is so high. Whenever I was with Eli Manning, I used to sit there and listen to everything he would say, because he was so intelligent,” Rhule said. “I think the second thing is that I think he’s great at reading people.
“He’s doing a great job of figuring out, ‘hey, who on this team can I trust? Who on this coaching staff can I trust?’ And my interactions with him have been awesome, I think he’s going to be a guy that our team goes to battle for.”
There has also been plenty of criticism and discussion among the media and football analysts about Bridgewater’s lack of ability to throw a deep ball, but he has not had a large sample size in any offense since 2015. Per Pro Football Focus, he completed 46.7% of deep passes (thrown at least 20 yards downfield) for 15.7 yards per attempt in 2019. Drew Brees in the same offense had 48.4% completion percentage and had 13.0 yards per attempt.
Bridgewater will have opportunities to prove what he can do in Brady’s scheme.
“I think one of the strengths of our team is that Robby Anderson’s a deep-play threat. Curtis Samuel is a deeply threat. DJ Moore is a deep play threat,” Rhule said. “We feel like we have the power to be able to take advantage of throwing the ball down the field, we know Teddy can do that.”
P.J. Walker
Walker received plenty of attention after he broke onto the scene with an impressive performance in the XFL prior to the league shuttering in March and was even on pace to become the league’s MVP. He threw for 1,338 yards, 15 touchdowns and just four interceptions, leading the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 start.
He has lived in Charlotte for the past few months and has been preparing for the season, including training with QB Country North Carolina trainer and former Duke quarterback Anthony Boone, alongside Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and other NFL and local football players while maintaining social distancing protocols.
Boone and Walker connected through his former Roughnecks receiver Sam Mobley. They started working when the pandemic hit, typically every Tuesday and Thursday for about two-and-a-half hours, in addition to some one-on-one sessions.
“He’s got a lot of twitch. He’s really quick... There’s drills that we kind of work on different platform throws, different movement throws, create different angles and throwing different routes and just seeing how much twitch he was able to have and still maintain a lot of control,” Boone said. “I think he’s a guy where kind of like your Kyler Murrays, Lamar Jacksons, guys that even though he’s considered moving off platform and getting off schedule, he still has a lot of arm and a lot of twitch to remain and get back on schedule.”
For Boone, working with NFL quarterbacks has helped elevate his abilities as a quarterback trainer. While he helped the players work on skills, they taught him what was helpful for them and allowed him to work with players who are at the level that younger quarterbacks are trying to reach. In turn, working with professional quarterbacks has only helped him when training others, allowing him to share with others how certain drills or skills can pay off.
Walker, re-joining his college coach Rhule after the virtual offseason, will have the chance with the Panthers to prove he deserves a spot at the next level.
“He’s a guy that with the right opportunity, right time, right circumstances, he’ll do the same thing in the NFL,” Boone said. “He’s sharp, he’s polished.”
Will Grier
Grier is in a unique position as he remains in Carolina for his second professional season. He had a rough two starts in the final games of the 2019 season. He exited Week 17 early due to a foot injury and didn’t get much of an opportunity to show what he can do after Allen had won the backup job behind Newton prior to the start of the season.
The twist of the unusual offseason means that Grier has the least familiarity overall with members of the staff. However, continuity in an offense going forward will only benefit his play. Proving that he deserves a shot at the back-up role will be a key for him as the season gets closer.
This story was originally published July 23, 2020 at 1:55 PM.
