Tim Tebow at WR: Does Denver Broncos QB Have Future as Receiving Option?

The Broncos used Tim Tebow as a receiver against the Bengals Sunday, and, as with all things Tebow, the temporary move caused a stir.

Can Tim Tebow find a future in Denver...as a receiver?

We don't need a lot of time to answer that question. It's a pretty quick no. Tebow has never been a receiver. He doesn't out-leap defenders for sideline passes or cut on a dime on an underneath crossing route. There was a time when some talent evaluators suggested a move to tight end, but receiver was never much of an option.

It's not because he can't. He's enough of an athlete to make an impact with the ball in his hands, whether it's given to him by the center or the quarterback. He could learn to run routes, and while he'd never be an ace deep threat, he could work the middle of the field and fight for the ball in the end zone. He'd be a natural after the catch.

No, the reason Tebow won't be a receiver isn't because he couldn't make a small impact outside, it's because he doesn't belong there. It's a waste of some of his best qualities.

There's enough debate over whether or not Tebow can succeed at quarterback in the NFL. His only three NFL starts went pretty well, all things considered, but it's a discussion that doesn't need to be reopened. Mostly because it never closes.

Besides, the real issue with Tim Tebow the quarterback is that so many pundits have been hypocritical in their judgment of him. When he was coming out of college, the popular stance was that he wouldn't make the transition smoothly. If he was going to succeed at all, it was going to take patience, hard work and more patience. However, despite performing pretty well when called upon to start, the same people who condemned thrusting Tebow into early action are calling him a failure for not winning the job at the onset of his second season.

That's the problem. Talk of moving Tebow to another position is premature. He's been in the league for little over a season. The coach who drafted him was fired before he started a game, and then a third coach was brought in during one of the shortest organized offseasons in NFL history, and he's supposed to be a finished product Week 1? 

Tim Tebow may never find success in the NFL, and it may come at another position if he finds any at all, but to interrupt his development as a passer after only 18 games as a pro to satisfy some curiosity about his receiving prospects would be shortsighted and hurried. 

Besides, with the erratic nature of the two quarterbacks in front of him, Tebow could be back to starting under center sooner than expected.