Projecting Kyle Orton's 2009 Stats

Lost amid all the feuding that occurred between Denver Broncos' head coach, Josh McDaniels, and quarterback, Jay Cutler, this off-season, feuding that resulted in Cutler being traded to the Chicago Bears, is the man the Broncos received in return in the Cutler deal, quarterback, Kyle Orton.

While every news outlet across the nation quickly analyzed what the switch meant for Cutler, the effect it would have on Orton was largely ignored.

Perhaps this was due to Orton's lack of a big name or the gaudy stats that Cutler has, or perhaps it was simply due to the fact that upon his arrival in Denver, Orton wasn't guaranteed the starting spot.

Whatever the reason, now, that Orton has been officially named the starter for the Broncos, it's critical for fantasy owners to take a long look at the QB to see what he has to offer in 2009. Bruno Boys Whooley does just that in the article below.

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Unfortunately for Orton, and through no fault of his own, he will constantly be compared to Cutler throughout 2009, as he is forever linked to the former Broncos' QB through this off-season's trade.

Orton is not the athlete Cutler is; hence, he'll have a tough time matching Cutler's strong 2008 season, in which he went for 4,546 passing yards, 25 TDs, and 18 INTs as a member of the Broncos.

However, that doesn't mean that Orton can't thrive in his own right in Denver.

Orton may not be Cutler, but he's no slouch either. In 15 games in 2008, Orton was just 28 yards shy of the 3,000 yard plateau for passing yards, while throwing for 18 TDs to just 12 INTs.

In one stretch from week 3 to week 9, Orton posted six (the Bears' had their bye in week 8) straight double-digit fantasy performances.

In the sixth game of that stretch, Orton went down with an ankle injury that caused his season to head south; nevertheless, the QB showed he has what it takes to play at a high level in the NFL, especially when you consider the guys he had to throw to in Chicago.

Playing with the Broncos, Orton has plenty more weapons than he had as a Bear.

With wide receivers Brandon Marshall, who appears to be staying put despite his trade demands, and Eddie Royal on the outside, Brandon Stokley running the slot position, and Jabar Gaffney filling out four wide receiver sets, Orton has four guys with sure hands at the receiver position. 

Meanwhile, in Chicago, he was throwing to a cornerback converted into a wideout in Devin Hester. As for the tight end position, while Orton may miss the athleticism of Greg Olsen, he has a nice substitute in Broncos' tight end Tony Scheffler.

In fact, the two tight ends finished with the exact same amount of fantasy points (77) just last year.

One aspect of the Bears' offense that Orton may miss is the running game as Matt Forte is leaps and bounds better than any of the umpteenth backs the Broncos have on their roster.

Still, Denver showed a commitment this off-season to enhancing the team's run game to keep defenses honest, bringing in veteran runners like Correll Buckhalter and LaMont Jordan and drafting rookie, Knowshon Moreno, so Orton should still have room to work with.

With the Broncos lack of defense, the team will be throwing quite often, meaning Orton will indeed have an opportunity to put up fantasy points. And, it doesn't hurt that he plays in a division that is home to two (the Kansas City Chiefs and San Diego Chargers) of the league's five worst pass defenses from 2008.

Considering that, along with the supporting cast he now has as a Bronco, Orton is definitely a high-end QB2 type, worthy of filling in during a bye week or playing when the match-up is right. And, if everything falls into place, don't be surprised to see Orton climb to QB1 status.

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