NFL Trade Talk: Why Miami Dolphins Would Be Foolish to Trade for Kyle Orton

On the off chance that you haven't heard, Tim Tebow has been named the Denver Broncos' starting quarterback for their Week 7 game against the Miami Dolphins.

Almost as soon as that news came out, early season talk about Kyle Orton being shopped were brought back. The main speculation, noted here by ESPN's Bill Williamson, is that the Broncos could look to trade Kyle Orton to the Dolphins.

From Denver's perspective, there is one potential negative in that. Their next game is against the Dolphins. If Orton dramatically outperforms Tebow in that hypothetical game and the Dolphins win, it would make the Broncos look kind of bad for trading Orton in favor of Tebow, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

From the Dolphins' perspective, how would this trade make any sense?

The Dolphins are maybe the favorites to land the No. 1 draft pick and Andrew Luck. Now, if they had any chance of making the playoffs, I would be more on board with this potential move.

But what in the world would the Dolphins gain here? They might get to a 4-12 or 5-11 record, but that wouldn't accomplish anything.

That would probably take them out of the running for the No. 1 pick, and wouldn't be anywhere near playoff contention.

Mind you, I am not suggesting that the Dolphins tank their games. I actually despise that kind of talk. Fans spend money to go to the games; they have the right to at least know that their team is trying to win.

But there is a fine line between tanking games and this.

Why would you make a trade, probably losing draft picks, for a slight upgrade at the quarterback position that wouldn't get you anywhere near a playoff spot?

The truth is that there really isn't a good landing spot for Orton this year. Assuming Tebow stays healthy, he's just going to be relegated to the bench.

Now, if Denver wants to shop him, there is no reason to not do so. He's not doing any good on their roster. Frankly, even if Tebow did get hurt, the better option is probably Brady Quinn at this point.

But the rumors about Orton to the Dolphins need to be nothing more than rumors.

If they do trade for Orton, then a genuine fan revolt in Miami will be rightfully upon us.