What You Need to Know:

-- Bridgewater has ranked among the league’s most accurate passers throughout his career.

-- His new OC, Joe Brady, coordinated LSU’s historic passing game in 2019.

-- The Panthers sport possibly the league’s speediest group of pass-catchers.

-- Bridgewater ain’t your deep-ball guy.

Short-Range Gunner

Here’s what we know about Bridgewater: He’s not much of a deep passer, but he’s highly accurate in the short range.

Bridgewater filled in for Drew Brees over 5 starts in New Orleans last season (plus half of the Rams game Brees left early). He compiled the league’s shortest average depth of target, at just 6.1 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. That was short even by his standards, impacted by an offense that ranked 4th in RB target share. (Drew Brees tied for 3rd-shortest at 6.9.)

But Bridgewater has previously come out on the short end of that category. As a 2014 rookie with the Vikings, he posted the 6th shortest ADOT (7.9). The next season found him tied for 5th-shortest (7.5).

Carolina’s new starter, however, has also delivered top-notch accuracy. Only Brees and Derek Carr among multi-game starters last year beat Bridgewater in PFF’s adjusted completion rate (80.6%), which filters out drops, throw-aways, spikes, batted passes and passes thrown while being hit. Bridgewater had also previously won in that category, ranking 4th as a 2014 rookie (who started 12 games) and then 2nd in 2015, behind only Bengals 3-game starter A.J. McCarron.

The New Offense

The accuracy was the obvious selling point for the Panthers, who signed Bridgewater to a 3-year, $63 million deal that locks him in for at least the next 2 seasons.

Before signing Bridgewater, Carolina imported a new coaching staff. HC Matt Rhule arrives after 11 years as a college OC or HC, first at Temple and then at Baylor (the past 3). His 11 offenses averaged a 54.5% rushing share. We certainly don’…