Kyle Orton Released from Denver Broncos, Is Reunion with Chicago Bears Coming?

Despite comments from the Denver Broncos front office regarding quarterback Tim Tebow's true ability to hold a starting position in the long term, the team has decided to part ways with Kyle Orton, who has been riding the bench since Week 5.

The move came as a surprise today; though he was clearly not going to get his starting job back any time soon, the nearly $9 million he was guaranteed seemed to be a price the Broncos organization was willing to pay to have an expensive veteran backup.

However, it's clear that Orton won't be unemployed for long. A number of teams are dealing with injured starting quarterbacks while still others don't have starters they're happy with. Topping the list of potential landing spots is Orton's former team, the Chicago Bears.

Starting Bears quarterback Jay Cutler has a broken thumb on his throwing hand that requires surgery and it may have him sidelined until the end of the regular season. With Chicago clearly in the playoff hunt, relying on backup Caleb Hanie was, until today, their only real option.

And while Hanie does have the benefit of being familiar with offensive coordinator Mike Martz's system, Orton has the benefit of being familiar with the entire Bears roster and head coach Lovie Smith.

For all of Orton's struggles in the early part of the season, he's still a viable quarterback worthy of starting for the right team in the right situation, and has performed well as a Bear in the past.

There are a few obstacles standing in Chicago's way, however, should they desire reacquiring the quarterback they traded away in 2009.

First is the long list of other teams surely interested in Orton's services. These teams include the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, who are also dealing with season-ending injuries to their respective starting quarterbacks, as well as the Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals, three teams whose starting passers are struggling this season.

The other issue is the remaining $2.5 million on Orton's Denver contract. Should Orton be claimed off of waivers, whichever team that grabs him would have to be willing to foot that hefty bill—$2.5 million is a great deal of money for a benched former starter with just five weeks remaining in the regular season.

If the Bears are willing to gamble that no other team would be willing to pay Orton that amount and wait until he would become a free agent, they might miss the chance to bring him aboard.

Also, Cutler's injury could prevent Orton's return to his former team. There's little chance that Orton, no matter how well he performs should he take over the Bears offense while Cutler heals, would remain the starter once the team's true quarterback returns for the postseason.

The question lingers of whether Orton would be willing to take that demotion and just be happy he's sitting on a team's sideline in January, or if he'd rather join an out-of-contention team just to get some playing time without worrying about riding the bench yet again.

All of this becomes moot, of course, if the Chiefs or Texans really are interested in Orton. Because record and strength of schedule dictates the NFL's waiver order, Houston has a shot to nab the quarterback before Chicago, and Kansas City has priority over Houston.

However, the fact remains that the first thought everyone had once the news of Orton's release broke was that the Bears should try and snag him. He'd be a great fit and a better option than Hanie at this critical point in the season.

Should the waiver wire prove kind to the Bears, look to see Orton back under center for his old team soon.