It was widely assumed heading into the offseason that Tim Tebow would be the starting quarterback for the Broncos in 2011 and Kyle Orton would be traded.
Not so fast.
While making rounds on radio row Wednesday leading up to Super Bowl XLV, Vice President of Football Operations John Elway attempted to put to bed rumors that Tebow already had the job and Orton was on his way out of town.
“Kyle is definitely in the equation. It’s not a foregone conclusion we’re going to trade Kyle at all. We still have to evaluate that part. I think a lot of people think it’s automatic. It’s not,” Elway said.
Orton started the first 13 games of 2010, leading the Broncos to a 3-10 record before being replaced after an injury and sitting for the final three games of the season.
Tebow started those three games and the Broncos went 1-2 during that stretch.
While Tebow is a less polished quarterback, his mobility and intangibles seemed to put him ahead of Orton, who played well in 2010, but has been viewed as immobile and an average quarterback by many critics.
But according to Elway, those first 13 games count for something.
“Kyle is still the starting quarterback and I think that what we have to do is now that (head coach) John (Fox) and his staff are in, they’re going to have to draw their own conclusions on what they think,” Elway said in an interview with NFL Network.
So it looks like there may be a quarterback competition in Denver this offseason, but it was clear from Elway’s words that he’s still fond of Tebow.
“Tim, as I said, is a very good football player, he’s not a great quarterback yet. Hopefully we can make him a great quarterback, but that’s going to take some time, he’s young and inexperienced, but a guy that is a competitor,” Elway said.
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