McDaniels says Orton is still starting Broncos QB
Kyle Orton is still the Broncos' starting Quarterback... for now
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Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels said from the NFL owners’ meetings in Orlando that 2009-10 starter Kyle Orton is still the team’s top Quarterback.
The Broncos traded for former Cleveland Browns Quarterback Brady Quinn on March 14th, leading to questions about the QB depth-chart in Denver. McDaniels finally answered those questions (for now) when he said Orton had “the respect of his teammates and coaches and we look forward to him improving.” Josh held out the possibility that Quinn could start the 2010-11 season, though saying that, “Now Brady’s here competing, and as always, players determine what they do on the field.”
Second-year player Tom Brandstater will also compete for the starting Quarterback job, but will have difficulty ascending past two experienced starters. Brandstater played well with the second and third teams in the preseason last year, and will continue to develop with Denver’s younger receivers.
Quinn says he knows the score, but plans to compete for the starting job anyway. “I’ll put it this way, I think every quarterback on our roster wants to play,” said Quinn. “Believe me, whether it’s Tom, Kyle, or myself, we’re all quarterbacks. We’re going to be team players first, but we all want to be out there playing.”
For his part, McDaniels welcomes the idea of a competitive environment. Josh was optimistic that a competition at the position will push each of his three QB’s to excel.
“There are guys that are definitely starters, and until someone comes in to knock them off their spot, it’s going to be that way,” said McDaniels on Monday. “Brady’s a player who fits a lot of the qualities and characteristics we look for in our quarterbacks. We feel like we have three who are in that same boat. It made sense for us to try to improve the competition at that position just like it does when we try to improve our competition at any position.”
