Teddy Bridgewater, quarterback, Minnesota Vikings

The most “pro ready” quarterback from the 2014 draft class, Teddy Bridgewater came into the NFL doing exactly what the Minnesota Vikings needed: completing passes efficiently and providing a complementary passing attack to the running game.

2015 was set with loftier expectations. Bridgewater wasn’t going to be relied upon to win games – that duty would fall to returning stud running back Adrian Peterson – but he was expected to up his already impressive 64.4 completion percentage and take some bigger shots downfield.

Bridgewater didn’t fulfill everything expected of him, but still had a successful season.

Finishing with 3231 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just nine interceptions while completing 65.3 percent of his passes, Bridgewater saw increases in total yards, a decrease in interceptions, and a slight increase in completion percentage.

All in all, that’s a successful step forward for the second-year quarterback.

Most importantly, the Minnesota Vikings won 11 games, the NFC North division, and secured a playoff spot. That’s a successful season as quarterback and he’s the only QB in his class to get his team to the postseason.

On the whole, however, the moderate gains by Bridgewater weren’t enough to shatter the perception of him as a lower-ceiling quarterback. He isn’t the new Andy Dalton (who exploded in 2015) but he also needs to prove that he can do more.

14 touchdowns isn’t enough for a modern NFL passing attack and his increased efficiency (lower interceptions, higher completion percentage) wasn’t great enough to justify the lower raw passing totals.

That said, Bridgewater found himself among the NFL’s best in completion percentage (10th) and his nine interceptions was among the lowest with significant passes this season.

Like Blake Bortles, Bridgewater’s sacks were among the league’s most. He was taken down 44 times in 2015, good for sixth in the NFL. The Vikings O-Line needs to improve in pass protection if they want Bridgewater to make significant strides.

The real question for Bridgewater is how much he is limited by scheme (the offense is designed around the running game) and whether he can really shine if the Vikings were to rely on him to win them games with his arm.