Teddy Bridgewater is officially the Broncos’ 2021 starting quarterback, the team and coach Vic Fangio announced Wednesday, as the six-year veteran beat out Drew Lock for the job.

Bridgewater will be the Broncos’ fifth Week 1 starting quarterback in as many years and the 10th starting quarterback overall since Peyton Manning retired in 2015-16, joining Lock, Trevor Siemian, Paxton Lynch, Brock Osweiler, Case Keenum, Joe Flacco, Brandon Allen, Jeff Driskel and Brett Rypien.

“Happy that I just get to continue to lead, be the same guy that I am today and same guy that I was yesterday,” Bridgewater said after practice Wednesday. “I think I’ve grown the most in the way that I lead. This was a unique opportunity. … It was one of those deals where I got to challenge myself as a leader and see if I was really this selfless person that I try to speak on and I think I was able to do a good job of that.”

In two preseason games, Bridgewater completed 16 of 19 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns and a 141 quarterback rating. Lock, on the other hand, was 14 for 21 with 231 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 116.4 quarterback rating.

Over the course of the month-long competition, Bridgewater and Lock were mostly “even-steven” according to Fangio, who said Wednesday it was the “right time” to name a starter.

“There wasn’t a lot of separation,” Fangio said. “Both guys had good camps. They both played well, both had their down moment, both had their good moments. I thought it was good for both of them. We just made this decision (because) we think it’s best for the team moving forward. But we have two good quarterbacks. Two quarterbacks we can win with and unfortunately you can’t play with two.”

Bridgewater has a lot to prove this season, after being acquired for a sixth-round pick from the Panthers in April prior to the 2021 NFL draft. He started 15 games for Carolina 2020 and in 2019, he was unbeaten in five games as a starter in New Orleans, where he replaced an injured Drew Brees. Bridgewater started his career in Minnesota, where he was drafted in the first round, 32nd overall, in 2014.

It was in Minnesota where Bridgewater suffered the biggest setback of his career — a Grade 3 ACL tear and dislocated knee that nearly ended his career in 2016. Five years later, Bridgewater has a chance to revitalize his career in Denver.

“I definitely live every day with a chip on my shoulder,” Bridgewater said. “But at the same time, it’s not just about me. We have other guys in this locker room who come to work every day. They sacrifice so much to be here. They sacrifice so much on game day. And we all just have the same mindset — put all the personal feelings aside and just make it about the team and this thing will go in the right direction.”

Bridgewater has always been a team-first player, which will be crucial as the Broncos’ quarterback moving forward. And having only been in Denver for less than four months, it’s clear he’s made an impact on the team as a leader.

“I saw a whole different side of Teddy when we went to Minnesota (and) he came to dinner with me. We started talking and building a relationship,” left tackle Garett Bolles said. “I just got to see how his mind is and I got to see his reads and really got to know who he was on a personal level, and that was huge for me to see that. But when he got here, when we talked on the phone, he knew where I was, how many kids I have, what my kids were named, what school I went to and that just meant a lot to me.

“I’m looking forward to all of our memories and our wins and our losses and just continuing to move forward with him.”

Bridgewater is sure to face plenty of hurdles in 2021, from helping the Broncos reach the playoffs for the first time in five years to blocking out the noise of fans and media who believe Lock should be the starter.

But he feels as though he’s more than ready to be the starting quarterback. Now he just has to prove it.

“It was just one of those deals when I got traded here that I was just looking forward to the opportunity to come here and make an impact in whatever way I could,” Bridgewater said. “That’s been my mindset everywhere that I’ve been. How can I leave an ever-lasting impact on this organization?”

A winning season and a playoff appearance would be a good place to start for most fans, Mr. Bridgewater.