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ENGLEWOOD, Colo. Kyle Orton was selected to be the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos on Saturday.
Coach Josh McDaniels decided to end the suspense early heading into next month's training camp.
Orton had been competing with Chris Simms for the starting spot left open by the April3 blockbuster deal that sent Jay Cutler to Chicago.
But McDaniels apparently liked what he saw in Orton's assimilation to the offense over the past several months to give the three-year veteran the edge, stressing there was still time for Simms to take the job.
“There's a lot of difficult aspects about what we ask our quarterback to do in our offense and Kyle has really grasped some of them more quickly than Chris did,” McDaniels said in explaining the move after the second day of a three-day minicamp.
Orton completed 272 of 465 passes for 2,812 yards last season, throwing 18 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He's appeared in 33 games.
Orton's also demonstrated less rust than Simms, who hasn't played since Week 3 of the 2006 season because of complications from a ruptured spleen while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It's really just the beginning for me in this offense and hopefully I'll continue to improve every day and get the offense where we need to be come the season,” said Orton.
Wide receiver Brandon Marshall again was a no-show at minicamp, one day after a face-to-face meeting with team owner Pat Bowlen.
Marshall is unhappy with his contract and what he considered a misdiagnosis of a hip injury last season and has been working out in Orlando, Fla.
Elsewhere
CLEVELAND: Before the first voluntary workout last week, coach Eric Mangini said Brady Quinn held a slight lead over Derek Anderson in the quarterback competition, based on the offseason program. Mangini on Saturday said the two will enter training camp dead even.
With Donte Stallworth facing DUI manslaughter charges in Miami, rookie receivers Brian Robiskie and Mohamed Massaquoi, who played at Independence High, are the leading candidates to produce behind Braylon Edwards, who led the NFL in drops last season. OBSERVER NEWS SERVICES
