If Michael Fabiano is to be believed, then the Kansas City Chiefs might really be considering a move for Kyle Orton to join the stable of quarterbacks already on the roster with Tyler Palko and Ricky Stanzi. If that’s true, it signals a few things, both good and bad.
Fabiano writes on Twitter, “The Chiefs are mulling over a decision on whether to put in a claim for Kyle Orton, per @wyche89. For Dwayne Bowe’s sake, let’s hope it happens.” That Wyche is Steve Wyche, NFL.com reporter, who apparently believes the Chiefs are seriously considering this.
If this is true, there are two good components to this. First of all, Orton would provide an immediate upgrade over any current quarterback on the Chiefs roster. We’ve already written about the reasons why, so make sure to check out that column. But suffice to say, Tyler Palko’s gutsy play was better than anyone believed it would be on Monday night against the Pats, but it won’t win the AFC West title.
That’s the other good thing. Signing Orton would mean the Chiefs are still going all in on a season where they have every reason to surrender. The injuries they’ve endured are tremendous and the roster holes they need to fill are very apparent. Yet the Chiefs are closer to the division lead than they should be, so why not go for it?
Then again, signing Orton only complicates the long-term quarterback picture. Do they have a future starter in Ricky Stanzi? Can Palko improve on an already strong showing? The Chiefs would still have question marks if they fail to let those guys play.