NFL Trade Deadline: Why Broncos Should Consider Trading QB Kyle Orton to Raiders

With the polarizing Tim Tebow now at the controls under center for the Denver Broncos, the odd man out appears to be now-backup quarterback Kyle Orton. With Denver seemingly having turned the page on Orton, it will be interesting to see if he is moved at the trade deadline.

The Broncos already traded Pro Bowl wide receiver Brandon Lloyd to the St. Louis Rams, so they aren't averse to cleaning house. Lloyd as a pending free agent, as is Orton who is due about $5 million over the remainder of the season.

Orton has certainly had some success over the past couple seasons as he had back-to-back years with over 3,600 passing yards and 20 touchdowns in 2009 and 2010. Things simply haven't worked out this season, though, as Orton was averaging less than 200 yards per game and had a 8:7 touchdowns to interceptions ratio before being shown the bench.

Much of that probably had to do with the fact that former Broncos head coach and passing game guru Josh McDaniels was fired and has since moved on to the St. Louis Rams as offensive coordinator. New head coach John Fox's "defense and running game" first mentality simply isn't tailored to Orton.

At this point, the Broncos can either sit on Orton's salary for the remainder of the season or find somebody willing to take him and get a draft pick out of the deal. Seeing as Denver is going nowhere fast, a trade seems like a no-brainer to me.

Several teams would benefit from a starting-caliber quarterback, but the first one that comes to mind is the Oakland Raiders. Oakland's starter Jason Campbell suffered a broken collarbone in Sunday's win over the Cleveland Browns and will be out for at least six weeks, and perhaps the entire season.

The Raiders have to turn to Kyle Boller at this point, but it is quite doubtful at this point that Boller could lead them to the playoffs. With that in mind, the Raiders are sure to exhaust all their options with Orton likely being one of the main ones.

It might seem like the Broncos would be reluctant to trade Orton to a divisional rival, but they seem willing for anything at this point, as well they should be. If the Raiders are the only team with serious interest in Orton, then I think Denver should pull the trigger.

In all likelihood, the Raiders probably wouldn't even re-sign Orton for next season unless he played out of his mind. Because of that, it isn't as if Orton is going to come back to bite the Broncos. Sure he might beat them once this season, but it's not like Denver is competing for as playoff spot.

From Oakland's perspective the trade makes obvious sense. I highly doubt they would have to give up much more than a fifth or sixth-round pick, so the only issue would be Orton's salary which the Raiders can surely handle.

Orton is far from spectacular, but he can make plays to help the Raiders win, whereas Boller will probably be little more than a game manager with a high probability of making crippling mistakes.

Regardless of who is at quarterback, the Raider will lean very heavily on Darren McFadden and the running game. With teams likely stacking the box, Oakland will want to have a quarterback capable of making the defense pay, and Orton can be that guy.

Ultimately, all rivalries should be put aside in this instance because a trade makes complete sense from both perspectives. The Broncos may be helping the Raiders by trading them Orton, but they'll be helping themselves as well.