A Bronco Fan Asks: Do the Cardinals want Kyle Orton?

Multiple sources have reported that the Denver Broncos' FO are putting Kyle Orton on the trading block (no surprise), and are demanding at least a 2nd round pick for compensation. Would the Cardinals give that up?

Over at the SBNation site of the Broncos (MileHighReport) there is no consensus on whether or not we will end up getting a 2nd round pick for Orton. Frankly, my opinion is that his current worth is a mid-3rd rounder. But some believe that there will be a small bidding war for Orton's services, and that though the initial offerings would be low round picks, that eventually one team would step up and be willing to to give up their 2nd-rounder to get him. They cite the numerous teams that need a QB, believe they can compete with a competent QB in the near future, and don't necessarily want to take the risk on a 1st round pick on Locker/Mallet/Others and have to wait as their window closes while the QB grows. Those teams would include the Vikings, Cardinals, Titans,Dolphins, and maybe a team like the Niners (being in such a weak division). They also believe that there's a chance a team who wants a young QB would also want a veteran while their QB is being groomed, and those teams include the Panthers, Bengals, and Bills, especially with Orton only being under a one year contract.

The argument for us falling short of a 2nd round pick, and settling for something like a 4th or a 5th, is that although there is a large contingent of teams that could use a proven QB now, there is also plenty of options for QBs not coming out of the draft. Vince Young, Kevin Kolb, and Donovan McNabb can all be cited as other possibilities for those teams previously mentioned instead of Orton. Not to mention that those teams might choose to take a rookie QB instead. 

Both sides have valid arguments in my opinion, and before I keep boring you with Bronco-related material, I'll pose the obvious question. Do you want the Cardinals to trade a 2nd round pick for Kyle Orton?

via www.exposay.com

If you're one of those Cardinal fans that's unfamiliar with Orton, here's his statline (13 games started)

QB Rating: 87.5, 3653 yards, 20 TDs, 9 INTs, and a completion percentage of 58.1% on 1952 attempts.

To be honest, Kyle Orton was never well received in Denver, although there was a good minority who always liked him. This is most due to the fact that Orton is not that flashy, sexy QB that most fans clamor for at the position. He will usually not be the reason you win the game, but he takes pride in making sure that he's never the reason you lose. He simply never got his feet wet in Denver, after being brought in as the replacement for Jay Cutler the fans/media never really gave him a chance. Add on the drafting of Tebow this year, the fans were constantly campaigning for the benching of Orton, even though he led the league in yards for a good proportion of the year. But Orton can play, he can lead a winning team, and he can make a lot of plays. No matter what team he plays for next year, I can almost guarantee he'll simply put up Top 10-Top 20 QB production. I think it's important to note he had most of his success this year with the complete lack of a running game, and many speculate that he played through some games knowing that if Tebow touched the starting field, it would be tough for him to win his job back.

Strengths: Accurate, Great Leader, Accuracy and ability to throw deep, Goes through his progressions well, He Protects the Football, Very Quiet and just goes about business, Consistently makes the right decisions

Weaknesses: Lack of mobility, Has trouble throwing under pressure, His small amount of picks seems to come at the wrong time

Thanks and good luck on the upcoming season and 2011 draft!