Coach Mike McDaniel confirmed Monday that Bridgewater will start in place of Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) versus the Jets in Week 5, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater will fill in for Tagovailoa for at least this Sunday, though it remains to be seen whether he'll end up seeing a longer stretch of relief duty. The veteran game manager completed 14 of 23 passes for 193 yards with one touchdown and one interception after taking over in the second quarter of Thursday's loss to the Bengals, and with a matchup upcoming versus a suspect Jets secondary, he could be a legitimate fantasy option in multi-QB formats. Skylar Thompson figures to handle backup duties while Tagovailoa remains sidelined.

Bridgewater entered Thursday night's 27-15 loss to the Bengals for an injured Tua Tagovailoa (head/neck) with 5:13 remaining in the second quarter and completed 14 of 23 passes for 193 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed once for 11 yards.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater turned in the type of performance he was essentially brought to Miami for, using his experience to hit the ground running and immediately complete a 16-yard pass to Trent Sherfield that set the Dolphins up for a 52-yard field-goal attempt, which ultimately was blocked. Bridgewater then helmed a nine-play, 75-yard scoring march on his first full possession, capping it off with a seven-yard touchdown toss to Chase Edmonds. Bridgewater subsequently led another 88-play drive that culminated in a field goal and had the offense deep in Bengals territory late down by only five before throwing an interception at the Cincinnati nine-yard line. Tagovailoa was feeling well enough after being evaluated at the hospital to travel home with the rest of the team per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, but it remains to be seen if Bridgewater will need to make a spot start in his stead in a Week 5 road matchup versus the Jets a week from Sunday.

Bridgewater didn't complete either of his two pass attempts in Sunday's 21-19 win over the Bills.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater entered the game after Tua Tagovailoa suffered a back injury, but the latter returned to the game, pushing Bridgewater back to the bench. In addition to the pair of incompletions, Bridgewater also took a sack. Tagovailoa is likely to play Thursday against the Bengals, but Bridgewater would slot in under center if Tagovailoa suffers a setback.

Coach Mike McDaniel described Bridgewater (concussion) as the Dolphins' "backup" quarterback during Monday's press conference at the NFL's annual league meetings, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater recently declined to discuss the role promised to him after signing with Miami, but McDaniel has now made absolutely clear that the plan moving forward is for the 29-year-old to enter Week 1 as the No. 2 option. McDaniel said the priority for Bridgewater and the coaching staff is "empowering Tua [Tagovailoa] to be the player he be can." Bridgewater, who missed the final four games of the 2021 season with a concussion, is one of the more accomplished and capable backups in the league, and he could certainly provide valuable mentorship for Tagovailoa, who is heading into a make-or-break Year 3 campaign.

Bridgewater (concussion) agreed Monday with the Dolphins on a one-year contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though Bridgewater won't get the chance to compete for a starting role for the Dolphins with the team having committed to Tua Tagovailoa as its top quarterback, the chance to return to his hometown of Miami was too enticing to pass up. Before he missed the final four games of the 2021 season with a concussion, Bridgewater made 14 starts for the Broncos and completed 66.9 percent of his attempts for 3,052 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions while adding 106 yards and two scores on the ground. The 29-year-old's time as a full-time NFL starter may be over, but he'll profile as one of the more accomplished backup options in the league.

Bridgewater (concussion) has been placed on IR, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

With the 7-9 Broncos eliminated from playoff contention, the move effectively ends Bridgewater's 2021 season. As a result, Drew Lock is in line to start Saturday's contest against Kansas City, provided he's able to play through a shoulder issue he picked up during Week 17 action.

Bridgewater (concussion) was listed as a non-participant on Tuesday's estimated practice report, Aric DiLalla of the Broncos' official site reports.

EDGE Analysis

Though head coach Vic Fangio hasn't officially ruled Bridgewater out for Saturday's season finale against the Chiefs, the coach acknowledged that Drew Lock is in line to remain the team's starting quarterback Week 18. Unless Bridgewater takes a dramatic step forward over the next two days in his recovery from the concussion he suffered in the Broncos' Dec. 19 loss to the Bengals, he'll likely be listed as out in advance of the weekend. Bridgewater hasn't practiced in any capacity since sustaining the head injury, a sign he remains in one of the early stages of the NFL's five-step concussion protocol.

Coach Vic Fangio said Monday that Bridgewater remains in the concussion protocol, Zac Stevens of TheDNVR.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater has missed each of the last two games after sustaining a concussion Week 15, and Drew Lock (shoulder) has served as the Broncos' starter since then. It's not yet clear whether Bridgewater will be cleared to return in time for Saturday's regular-season finale against Kansas City, but Lock likely will start again if the 2014 first-rounder is out.

Bridgewater (concussion) has been ruled out for Sunday's game against the Chargers.

EDGE Analysis

Bridgewater was unable to practice this past week, and now that he's been officially ruled out for a second straight game, Drew Lock is slated to draw another start Sunday.

Bridgewater (concussion) isn't practicing Wednesday and isn't expected to be ready for Sunday's game against the Chargers, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

EDGE Analysis

With Bridgewater absent from practice, as expected, Drew Lock continues to guide the first-string offense. The Broncos also made Lock available to the media Wednesday, a sign he's viewed as the likely starting QB for Week 17. The 25-year-old completed 15 of 22 passes for 153 yards in Sunday's 17-13 loss to Las Vegas, with no touchdowns or turnovers in a game where the Broncos took only 42 snaps on offense.