Draft Impact: Cowboys Sign Kyle Orton, Seahawks Release Robert Gallery

Two moves that might have gone unnoticed in most circles could have effects on the first round of the 2012 NFL draft.

First, the Dallas Cowboys signed quarterback Kyle Orton to a three-year deal to back up Tony Romo. While this doesn't make many ripples in Cowboys land, it might for the team that Orton last played for, the Kansas City Chiefs. Orton was recently praised by KC head coach Romeo Crennel at the combine: 

"

If it were not for Kyle, I would not be standing here, either, so I'm very appreciative of what he's done, but until we get another quarterback on the team, Cassel is the guy. Now, if we get Kyle on the team -- if he comes back to us -- then we'll see how it works out, and we'll play the best guy. Until that time, it's all speculation.

"

That was a clear indication of both a lack of confidence in his current QB, Matt Cassel, and some hope that Orton could beat him out in an open competition.

Now that the Chiefs have missed out on re-signing Orton, they may turn their attention to Texas A&M QB Ryan Tannehill even more as a target at the 11th pick of the first round. The coin flip that gave the Chiefs, and not the QB-poor Seattle Seahawks, that pick looms large here.

Those Seahawks released OG Robert Gallery only one year after signing him to a three-year deal last offseason.

While that same report from the Daily Herald has old Seahawks mainstay Steve Hutchinson visiting soon, if the Seahawks don't sign him (or even if they do, Hutchinson is 34 after all), they could target blue chip OF David DeCastro from Stanford, who would probably be a prime target of the Dallas Cowboys at No. 14 overall.