The Cincinnati Bengals backup quarterback derby has so far been lackluster. From Matt Barkley’s tendency for turnovers to Jeff Driskel’s inconsistency, if Andy Dalton were to go down, I’m not sure either of them could rise to the occasion. Sure, both quarterbacks have shown some life at points throughout camp, but for the most part, they don’t inspire a lot of confidence. With that said, BengalsWire wrote recently Should the Bengals trade for a Backup Quarterback?, and in it, Dallas Robinson brings up an intriguing option in Teddy Bridgewater.

Let’s get some things out of the way. Sam Darnold is the Jets present and future. He will be playing his first year. And judging from Bridgewater’s stats in his preseason game against the Redskins (10/15 passing for 127 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT), this could bode well for teams in need of a veteran back up quarterback. The Jets already have a veteran quarterback in Josh McCown so Bridgewater could prove to be expendable. At the very least, the Jets could acquire a mid to late round pick for the quarterback, resulting in a win-win situation.

Both Matt Barkley and Jeff Driskel (as athletic as he is) just aren’t consistent enough. All throughout camp, they’ve been mediocre to downright horrible (I’m looking at you Barkley), and I truly believe Bridgewater could be a realistic option. In the last preseason game, Jeff Driskel was off, until that last drive when he threw the game winner to Auden Tate. To be fair, the offensive line wasn’t giving him the time he needed. Matt Barkley, on the other hand, looks like Captain Checkdown. He’s afraid to take chances, and when he does, he often misses. Yes, he’s shown some decent throws during camp, but one good throw out of 10 is anything but consistent.

Teddy Bridgewater would be the perfect backup quarterback. He has experience starting, he’s been on a successful team and most of all, he has playoff experience (albeit just one loss to the Seahawks, but still). If Bridgewater proves himself a bit more in the next two preseason games, I expect his trade stock to go up. A 4th round pick for Bridgewater sounds like a reasonable trade if he keeps playing solid football.

However, if Darnold plays lights out and impresses the coaching staff, the Jets could surprise everyone by trading Josh McCown instead. If that turns out to be the case, I have no problems trading for him either.

Of course, we are the Bengals, so a trade that makes sense like this is most likely never coming to fruition. But here’s to hoping!