Denver Broncos' Decision on Kyle Orton Strictly Business; Bears May Make Claim

More than a few eyebrows were raised Tuesday when the Denver Broncos cut former starting quarterback Kyle Orton, who hadn't played since being replaced in the lineup by Tim Tebow five games ago.

Before getting into what the decision does mean, there is at least one thing it doesn't: Releasing Orton does not mean the Broncos are ready to commit to Tebow for the long term.

Instead, it just means there is a great chance that Orton will be claimed off waivers, thus taking Denver off the hook for the remaining $2.5 million left on his contract for the remainder of this season.

The first half of the season was a remarkably healthy time for NFL quarterbacks, Peyton Manning aside. With the exception of Manning's situation, the only changes in starting quarterbacks that were necessitated due to injury in the first half of the season were Curtis Painter replacing Kerry Collins (concussion) with the Indianapolis Colts and John Skelton stepping in for Kevin Kolb (turf toe) for the Arizona Cardinals.

That meant the market for Orton was iffy, at best.

But in the last two weeks, there have been two quarterbacks—Matt Schaub of the Houston Texans and Matt Cassel of the Kansas City Chiefs—lost to season-ending injuries and a third, Jay Cutler of the Chicago Bears, who will miss at least most of the remainder of the year after being hurt last Sunday.

That makes it much more likely Orton will be claimed off waivers today.

Given Tyler Palko's performance on Monday night, the Chiefs could be a possibility. I hadn't seen Palko play in quite awhile, but his lack of arm strength was alarming.

While a lot of folks instinctively thought Orton to the Bears made sense, I discounted the possibility because, while Orton spent the first four years of his career in Chicago, it was all under offensive coordinator Ron Turner. Orton has zero experience with Mike Martz' system.

However, ESPNChicago.com is reporting the Bears will put in a claim for Orton.

The Texans auditioned a host of quarterbacks on Monday, but reportedly have no interest in Orton, according to a tweet Tuesday from John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

The Colts and Washington Redskins are intriguing possibilities, if only because all the quarterbacks on their respective rosters have already shown themselves to be lacking.

In the end, this move is best for both Denver and Orton. The Broncos weren't interested in bringing back Orton, who will be a free agent this offseason. Orton had no interest remaining in Denver as a backup.

So at the very least, Orton gets a chance to get a head start on auditioning for potential suitors in free agency and the Broncos get a chance to save some cash. It's a clean break, finally, after the team very publicly shopped Orton to the Miami Dolphins after the lockout ended.

But this roster move has no bearing on Tebow's long-term future in Denver. Orton was done with the Broncos regardless of who winds up as the No. 1 quarterback in 2012.

Brady Quinn is available should Tebow need to be replaced at any point the rest of this season. Then John Elway and John Fox can go about the task of determining which direction to take the franchise.

In any event, Orton won't be unemployed for long. It's just a question of which team wins the waiver claim.