Tim Tebow at WR: Are Denver Broncos Desperate, or Can Tebow Actually Have Impact

The most desperate maneuver of Week 2 took place in Denver, where the Broncos lined up third-string quarterback Tim Tebow at wide receiver in the second quarter.

The move came after wide receiver Eddie Royal suffered a groin injury, leaving the Broncos with just two healthy receivers, Eric Decker and Matthew Willis. Coming into the game, Brandon Lloyd (groin strain) and Demaryius Thomas (Achilles) were already hurt.

That left Tebow available to fill in, although he was not a serious target of quarterback Kyle Orton. He did get off a block on a third down run by Lance Ball that failed to get the job done—Ball lost four yards—but that was about it.

Decker was the man, catching two touchdown passes from Orton as the Broncos beat Cincinnati 24-22, a win that got Denver even at 1-1.

In Week 1, the fans in Denver were up in arms with Orton, calling loudly for Tebow, the Broncos’ top pick in the 2010 draft to be used as quarterback. They got to see him, just not how they thought.

The game was a huge one for Denver coach John Fox, who claimed he didn’t hear the fans calling for Tebow to be used over Orton in Week 1.

It had to be a downer for those among the Broncos followers who seemed to think Tebow should be the starting quarterback, because it’s evidence that the Broncos don’t see much of a future for the former first-round draft pick calling all of Denver’s signals.