After a solid showing in two late season starts, the Kansas City Chiefs are apparently interested in bringing back QB Kyle Orton next season:

Speaking of Orton, the Chiefs will make an effort to sign him this offseason and bring him back for another year to compete with starter Matt Cassel. And staying in K.C. might be the best option for Orton if he wants to be a starter.

Orton, a journeyman QB now on his third team, has been a starter for the Chicago Bears and the Denver Broncos in his NFL career, but neither team believed in him enough to keep him around as a long-term answer at the QB position.

In seven games with Kansas City and Denver this season, Orton has completed 60.5% of his passes for 1,578 yards, 9 TD's and 9 INT's.

His numbers compare favorably to Cassel's, who regressed significantly this season before being knocked out for the year with an injury to his throwing hand.

Even if Cassel comes into next season as the starting QB, Orton would conceivably push him in training camp as well as giving the Chiefs a better solution at the back-up QB position, as the inept play of Tyler Palko sunk any chance of Kansas City contending in a weak AFC West.