Kyle Orton completed 24-of-46 passes for 304 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Broncos' Week 1 loss to Oakland, 23-20. There were stretches late in this game where Denver fans were chanting Tim Tebow's name, but Orton responded with a 12 play, 80 yard drive capped off by a 8-yard touchdown pass to Lance Ball to pull Denver within three, though it was ultimately not enough. Still, there was a reason why fans wanted Tebow. Orton was widely inaccurate throughout the contest, though his offensive line did little to help (he took four sacks). He's a low-end QB2 in Week 2.

Kyle Orton completed 16-of-23 passes for 236 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in the Broncos' third preseason game. He played just over a half. Through three preseason starts, Orton has kept a clear lead over Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn by completing 28-of-42 passes for a whopping 408 yards (9.71 YPA), two scores, and the pick. Orton's upside is very much capped by Denver's new offensive philosophy, but he'll be worth a look as a fantasy spot starter against bad pass defenses.

The Denver Post confirms that the Broncos have not indicated they intend to give Kyle Orton a contract extension. Orton is likely to play out the final year of his contract and then test free agency. Meanwhile, Brady Quinn is in the final year of his deal as well. That leaves Tim Tebow as the only one of the three under contract in 2012. With a full season of learning and an offseason to train with coaches, it's possible Tebow could ascend to the starting gig at this time next year. Dynasty owners shouldn't give up just yet.

Coach John Fox has has officially anointed Kyle Orton the Broncos' starting quarterback for Opening Day. It was never a competition. Orton finished last season with 498 pass attempts in 13 starts, good for an average of over 38 a game. With the Broncos now planning to run the ball over 30 times per week, we generously project Orton to average 33 attempts while accounting for how often Denver projects to be playing from behind. He's just a low-end QB2 with very limited upside.

ESPN's Rick Reilly is the latest to call the quarterback competition in Denver "over." Reilly lives in the Denver and has close ties to Broncos Executive VP of Football Operations John Elway. "Orton won by the kind of margin Kim Jong Il wins elections," writes Reilly, who says the entire locker room is in Orton's corner. Tebow will be the second quarterback in during the Broncos' preseason opener as he battles with Brady Quinn for the backup job.

Speaking on NFL Network Wednesday afternoon, Michael Lombardi confirmed an ESPN report that Kyle Orton "will be the starter in Denver." NFL Network introduced the Lombardi segment by stating that Orton has already been told he's the starter. "He will not be traded," Lombardi emphasized, echoing Schefter's report. The Broncos have done a 180 in one week, perhaps in an attempt to quell any negative feedback from the legion of Tebow supporters.

The Broncos are not going to trade Kyle Orton and he will be their starting quarterback, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter. And with that, the Tim Tebow hype machine comes to a screeching halt. Schefter knows the Broncos better than anyone after serving as a beat writer there and is unlikely to be bluffed by their front office. It appears that the deal with the Dolphins truly is dead. Upgrade Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal a notch as Orton is a far superior passer than Tebow.

Kyle Orton is now taking all of the first-team quarterback reps at Broncos training camp. The Denver Post is calling the Broncos' backup job a Tim Tebow versus Brady Quinn battle. If the Broncos still plan to trade Orton, they're wasting valuable starters' reps on the overpriced incumbent. Denver needs to make a quick decision on whether to move on from Orton or keep him in the lineup. He's taking up valuable cap space and time for Tebow to form a rapport with Brandon Lloyd.

SI.com's Peter King believes the Kyle Orton-to-Miami trade "isn't dead." Miami beat writers insists the deal still has legs while the Denver Post suggests the Broncos have moved on. King concedes that it may be a "longshot" at this point, but it makes too much sense for Orton to pass up the opportunity. Explains King, "Five years down the road, if he doesn't end up in Miami, he'll be saying to himself, 'I should have redone my contract back in 2011. I should have figured how much they wanted to go with Tebow, and how I could have started from day one in Miami.'"

The Broncos will not release Kyle Orton, according to the Denver Post. The Broncos would owe Orton $2.9 million in salary on top of his $1.5 million roster bonus if they cut him. In other words, it's not happening. He's also wisely not willing to take a paycut on a long-term deal when he could simply hit the open market as a free agent next season. The Denver media continues to say a deal is dead while the Miami media says a trade is still very possible.