Miami Dolphins Rumors: Crowder Released; How Does Moore Affect Orton Deal?

Wait, what?

That seems to be the recurring theme in Miami today. A pair of rather significant news nuggets have leaked out of Dolphins camp this afternoon, and both are very surprising.

First, rumors of Channing Crowder being released by the team are starting to run rampant. Both Omar Kelly and Armando Salguero are reporting the news, though it has not been confirmed thus far. Around 4 p.m. Friday, Salguero tweeted:

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"A source is telling me the Dolphins are cutting ILB Channing Crowder. Crowder was scheduled to make $5M this season in final yr of his deal." 

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Crowder, 27, was starting to become more of a hindrance than an asset for Miami's defense.

At such a ripe age, Crowder should, theoretically, just be entering his prime. However, Crowder has struggled with chronic durability issues. He has never started 16 games in one season, and missed 19 games over the past four seasons, including 11 over the past two.  

Crowder's body has decayed to the point where he plays like he's in his 30's. He cannot stay on the field in pass coverage situations and has clearly the athletic prowess he once held. The Dolphins have a pair of linebackers—A.J. Edds and Tim Dobbins—who can compete for the job, and Salguero reported the team might be interested in former Charger Stephen Cooper.

Granted, Crowder's leadership and football I.Q. were invaluable, Miami can now allocate that $5 million he was due towards a new inside linebacker or Kyle Orton.

Speaking of Kyle Orton, there seems to be overwhelming confusion regarding his current status with the Dolphins. 

Today was supposed to be the day that the Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos hammered out a trade that would send Kyle Orton to South Beach. 

Instead, the 'Fins went out and signed former Carolina Panther Matt Moore to compete with Chad Henne. There seems to be an outraged sentiment regarding the signing, but do not dismiss Moore.

In 2009, he stepped in as the Panthers starter for the final five weeks of the season. He led them to a 4-1 record, posting a 98.5 quarterback rating backed by a 61.6 completion percentage. Perhaps more impressively, he threw eight touchdowns and only two interceptions.

Last season, Moore was dreadful; however, he was surrounded by a dismal supporting cast and the team was visibly anxious to usher in the Jimmy Clausen era.

Moore brings the "game manager" mentality that Chad Pennington did, and he's a natural fit for the Dolphins. Jeff Ireland signed Moore as an undrafted free agent in Dallas in 2007, but lost him in a roster cut. Furthermore, Moore played under Miami's new quarterback coach Karl Dorrell at UCLA (Moore transferred to Oregon State, but according to Ben Volin of the Palm Beach Post, there are no hard feelings).

Will Moore usurp Chad Henne? 

It's impossible to tell given Moore's minimal experience, but he will certainly have a shot at the number one quarterback job.

But, this more pressing question this move poses is: What about Kyle Orton?

Well, the Moore acquisition initially seemed to signal the end of trade talks with Denver, but then Miami cleared up $5 million in cap space by cutting Crowder—makes you wonder if they want to allocate that money towards a contract with Orton.

Gregg Rosenthal of ProFootballTalk offered an in-depth breakdown of the stagnant trade talks between the Dolphins and Broncos this morning. Both teams have plenty to lose by not striking a deal, and the clock is ticking.

By acquiring Matt Moore, the Dolphins have provided themselves with a contingency plan in case the Orton deal completely falls through. If Miami and Denver cannot come to an agreement over the weekend, it's tough to envision the two sides ever striking a deal.