Kyle Orton Trade Rumors: Why He Could Put Miami Dolphins in the Playoffs

The biggest trade rumor swirling around the NFL right now is a trade that hasn't happened quite yet.

The Miami Dolphins have made no bones about the fact that they are looking to upgrade the quarterback position. Late last week, it looked like a near sure thing that they would work out a trade to acquire Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton.

Here we are on Tuesday and the proposed trade to the Dolphins looks further away than ever.

For one, Miami seems to have moved on to some degree. They went out and signed free agent quarterback Matt Moore. While Chad Henne would probably remain the starter if the Dolphins stand pat, Matt Moore would at least challenge Henne and give Miami some option should Henne struggle.

Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano seems content to move forward with the team he already has in camp and he spoke highly of Matt Moore. According to Andrew Carter of the Orlando Sun-Sentinel, Sparano was very impressed with Moore during his training camp run with the Cowboys in 2007. Sparano had this to say:

""Matt was really a guy who had a tremendous training camp for us, really a surprise at the time, [as an] undrafted free agent," Sparano said. "I watched this kid compete at a pretty high level during that training camp against some pretty good players.""

Sparano sounds like a man confident in Moore's ability to take over the offense if it comes to that.

Few would agree with that assessment, though. The Dolphins can't go into this season with Chad Henne and Matt Moore at quarterback, with largely the same team, and expect a different result.

Keeping the status quo at quarterback doesn't solve the problems the Dolphins have faced. Too often last season, the Dolphins were undone by costly Chad Henne turnovers.

The pieces were there to be successful, but their quarterback play held them back. They needed Henne to simply keep them in games and let their stable of running backs do the work on offense. He failed in that role and Miami needs to find a remedy for that or nothing will change.

Orton is nothing if not risk-averse. Say what you will about what he can't do—he isn't going to set passing records or thread the needle through multiple defenders.

What he will do is control the ball and the clock for you. He will put your team in a position to win if you have the right pieces around him.

Those pieces are in place for the Dolphins. The only thing missing is Orton.