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LaCanfora: Orton won't be available either

Another potential offseason veteran quarterback might be off the market. More good news for Chad Henne.

Terrible news for anyone hoping for a legitimate competition at quarterback for the Miami Dolphins.

Jason LaCanfora of the NFL Network, reports today that "people I've talked to" in Denver are telling him they can see a scenario where Orton is the Broncos' starting QB in 2011 -- ahem, whenever the season actually gets underway.

"Orton is valued by the Broncos," LaCanfora writes. "They know he can be a winning quarterback. He's smart and can absorb a system, and has some natural chemistry with receivers there like Brandon Lloyd. For a franchise that is dealing with significant fan unrest, and coming off a collapse of a season, and with a new regime in place, the Broncos need to win some games. Now.

"Without question, Orton gives them the best chance to do that"

So how does that affect Miami. Simple: The Dolphins are going to be in the hunt for a quarterback that can challenge Henne for the starting job. The job requires experience, an ability to have instant success against good opponents, and an obvious need to be available in the offseason.

With Orton, you could check off the list of requisites one after another until, well, now when we reach the avialability issue. Obviously, anything can change and it often does. So the thinking in Denver can go a different direction.

But if LaCanfora's people are correct, you can cross Orton off Miami's list of potential QB challengers.

Let's see ...

That leaves ...

Marc Bulger, Vince Young, Kevin Kolb, maybe Matt Hasselbeck, maybe Donovan McNabb.

Yikes.

[NOTE: Jason LaCanfora will join my radio show, Armando and the Amigo, at 8:10 on Thursday morning for his weekly segment. We'll talk about this Orton situation and other NFL issues. Listen in.]

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