Tim Tebow: What Does QB Promotion Mean for Kyle Orton, Brady Quinn?

Now that Tim Tebow has been named the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos, it raises questions about the futures of fellow quarterbacks Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn.

Orton is in his third season with the Broncos, while this is Quinn's second. Both are slated to be unrestricted free agents at the end of this year, and it's a safe bet that of the two, Orton is the least likely quarterback to remain with the team in 2012.

In fact, it's quite possible Orton won't be with the Broncos for the entirety of the 2011 season. He was slated to be traded to the Miami Dolphins this preseason, and while that deal fell through, it's not hard to imagine that the Dolphins could yet again come calling now that Orton has been demoted.

The trade deadline is fast approaching, however, and Orton's poor performance in his team's first four games could limit the amount of interest he garners from Miami or elsewhere. If that's the case, he will finish out his last year in Denver on the bench.

While Quinn is in a similar situation as Orton, his odds of staying with the Broncos after this year are much higher. Regardless of who starts for Denver after this season, they'll need a quality backup, and Quinn can easily fill that role.

Heading into this season, Quinn was named the primary backup to Orton, getting the nod over Tebow. While he's destined to be a No. 2 quarterback for the rest of his career, after a poor track record as a starter in Cleveland, he is certainly capable enough to back a starter.

If Tebow fails as the Broncos starter, the team will likely give Quinn a try rather than turning back to Orton. This could help his stock as a free-agent commodity and could also give the Broncos reason to extend his tenure with the team.

But for now, the two quarterbacks appear destined for the bench, watching the Tebow show with the rest of us and wondering how things got so bad, and so strange, so quickly.