28-year old QB Kyle Orton isn’t the fan favorite for the Broncos (Tim Tebow is), but he has played pretty well for the Broncos so far this year.  Orton has played in both games for the Broncos so far this year and he has completed 39 of 71 passes (54.9%) for 499 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (85.4 QB Rating).  Orton has also carried the ball 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc) so far this year.  Coach Fox made the right choice in starting Orton at QB because he gives the Broncos the best chance to win right now.

The Broncos have lost starting WR Eddie Royal for the next 2-4 weeks due to a groin strain.  Royal played in both of the Broncos games this year and he has caught 4 passes for 51 yards (12.8 avg).  Eric Decker will replace Royal and he will now be starting instead of being the #3 receiver.  Decker should be more than up to the challenge as he has caught 8 passes for 166 yards (20.8 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his first 2 games with the Broncos this year.

24-year old WR Eric Decker played in 14 games as a rookie for the Broncos last year when he caught 6 passes for 106 yards (17.7 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He also returned 22 kickoffs for 556 yards (25.3 avg) last year.  This year though, Decker is going to get more looks in the passing game while returning punts, and he’s off to a good start.  Decker caught 3 passes for 53 yards (17.7 avg) and he also returned 5 punts for 128 yards (25.6 avg) including a 90-yard TD return.  Decker is set up to have a big year as the Broncos’ #3 WR.

Word out of Denver is that 24-year old Tim Tebow is now the #3 QB for the Broncos, behind Kyle Orton and Brady Quinn.  I don’t believe that he’s really #3 on the depth chart.  Tebow has played in all 3 preseason games for the Broncos and he has completed 13 of 20 passes (65%) for 194 yards with 0 TD passes and 0 INTs (96.7 QB Rating).  Tebow has also carried the ball 7 times for 47 yards (6.7 ypc) so far in the preseason.  He has done nothing in games to suggest that he needs demoted to the third team.  That being said, 26-year old Brady Quinn has also looked pretty good in the preseason so far.  He has played in 2 preseason games so far for the Broncos and he has completed 18 of 30 passes (60%) for 250 yards with 2 TD passes and 1 INT (95.1 QB Rating).  Quinn looks very capable of being the #2 QB if the Broncos decide to punish Tebow for some reason.

28-year old Kyle Orton was having a solid year until he was injured and replaced by rookie Tim Tebow.  Orton played in 13 games for the Broncos last season and he completed 293 of 498 passes (58.8%) for 3,653 yards with 20 TD passes and 9 INTs (87.5 QB Rating).  Orton also carried the ball 22 times for 98 yards (4.5 ypc) last season.  Orton has now played in 62 games in his NFL career and he has completed 1,134 of 1,952 passes (58.1%) for 12,774 yards with 71 TD passes and 48 INTs (79.6 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 99 times for 261 yards (2.6 ypc) with 3 TD runs in his career to date.  If the Broncos are truly going to go forward with Tim Tebow at QB then they need to deal Orton because he won’t be happy as a backup.

23-year old rookie QB Tim Tebow gave the Broncos a spark at the tail end of last season.  He played in 7 games in which he completed 41 of 82 passes (50%) for 654 yards with 5 TD passes and 3 INTs (82.1 QB Rating).  Tebow also carried the ball 43 times for 227 yards (5.3 ypc) with 6 TD runs last season. It will be interesting to see if the Broncos are really willing to hook up the wagons to Tim Tebow. 

26-year old Brady Quinn didn’t get into any games for the Broncos last season.  He has played in 14 games in his NFL career and he has completed 184 of 353 passes (52.1%) for 1,902 yards with 10 TD passes and 9 INTs (66.8 QB Rating).  Quinn has also carried the ball 25 times for 119 yards (4.8 ypc) with 1 TD run in his career.  Quinn will move up to #2 on the depth chart for the Broncos in 2011 if they do indeed deal Kyle Orton.

VERDICT:  I see the Broncos going with Tim Tebow at QB in 2011 and dealing Kyle Orton to the highest bidder.

23-year old rookie QB Tim Tebow will get his third start of the season tomorrow against the Chargers.  If he has a good game I really think the Broncos will try to deal Kyle Orton during the off-season.  Tebow has played in 8 games (2 starts) for the Broncos so far this year and he has completed 25 of 46 passes (54.3%) for 449 yards with 3 TD passes and 1 INT (100.7 QB Rating).  Tebow has also carried the ball 30 times for 133 yards (4.3 ypc) with 5 TD runs so far this year.  Ex-head coach Josh McDaniels took a chance in picking Tebow with the 25th overall pick of the first round and it might turn out being quite a going away gift.

29-year old WR Brandon Lloyd has really stepped up this season for the Broncos.  Lloyd has played in 11 games so far this year and he has 58 catches for 1,122 yards (19.3 avg) with 9 TD grabs.  He already has established new career highs in receptions, receiving yards and TD catches with 5 games left in the season.  Lloyd has now played in 92 games in his NFL career and he has caught 222 passes for 3,492 yards (15.7 avg) with 24 TD grabs.  It looks as if Lloyd is a late bloomer and if he stays healthy the rest of the year he deserves to make the Pro Bowl.

27-year old QB Kyle Orton had been outstanding again for the Broncos this year.  He has started all 8 games at QB for the Broncos so far this year and he has completed 195 of 316 passes (61.7%) for 2,509 yards with 12 TD passes and 5 INTs (92.7 QB Rating).  He has also carried the ball 18 times for 90 yards so far this year.  If Orton keeps playing like he has been this year it might be a long time before Tim Tebow gets a legit chance to play QB for the Broncos except in their version of the Wildcat Formation.

23-year old cornerback Perrish Cox was a 5th round pick out of Oklahoma State last season.  For some reason he dropped in the draft as many experts had him graded out to be picked in the 2nd or 3rd round.  The Broncos are happy that he slipped to them.  Cox has played in 7 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has 27 tackles, 10 passes defensed, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble.  Cox will continue to get playing time as long as he stays effective.

23-year old rookie QB Tim Tebow has passed up Brady Quinn on the depth chart at QB.  The Broncos now feel that he’s ready to get onto the field at least in their version of the Wildcat.  Tebow is built like a tank at 6’3″, 245 pounds and he really runs with a lot of power.  He has played in 2 games for the Broncos so far this year and he has carried the ball 8 times for 25 yards (3.1 ypc) with 1 TD run.  That TD was the first of hopefully many in Tim Tebow’s NFL career.