The overwhelmingly common opinion is that Chris Simms has played his final game in a Broncos uniform and, personally, good riddance.  Not to take anything away from a guy who seems to be a gentleman and a hard-worker - but in the games against Washington and San Diego he proved that he cannot be relied upon to win games for us.

So what now?  Well in my last mock, I detailed Kyle Orton's statistical performance during this past season (spoiler alert - it was comparable to that of Eli Manning and Carson Palmer).  That doesn't even delve into what he did at the line of scrimmage, making adjustments that require awareness that not ever quarterback has.  I like him.  He deserves to be tendered and to go into 2010 as the starter.  He does not deserve to be handed the keys to the franchise.

The only other guy who will certainly be on the QB depth-chart in 2010 is Tom Brandstater.  However ridiculous it sounds for me to be so hung up over a 6th rounder, it doesn't change the fact that I really, really like this guy.  From the moment he put on the "oh shucks" routine in his first press conference to the laser he threw to Brandon Lloyd when he was thrown in against the Bears to his preseason start against the Cardinals - I've been hooked.  Physically, he is already Orton's superior.  He has the big arm and ability to move around and roll out of the pocket that Orton - with all due respect - just doesn't have.  Physical gifts isn't Orton's M.O anyway, and the true test will be whether or not Brandstater can match Orton's understanding of the offense.  Keep in mind this will be the first time Brandstater will be returning to the same offense in consecutive years since high school.  Still, he's a 6th round pick coming into his second year.

As it stands now, I really do believe one of these two guys will be our QB in 2012.  Which one, I'm not sure.  I like Brandstater's physical gifts but I feel as the McDaniels has really gravitated to Orton and feels as if he's his guy - his project.  Still - we're going to need a third guy.

Chad Pennington is a guy who's been mentioned a lot on this site as a possible second-stringer.  I couldn't disagree with that choice more.  For one, there is no guarantee Pennington will ever play again.  Two, he'll be 34.  I feel as though I'm unusually supportive of Orton/Brandstater and even I don't think it's a smart idea to bring in a guy with such little upside as Pennington.  

I've also heard some mumblings of taking Tim Tebow or Cold McCoy.  Perhaps an even worse choices than Pennington.  I don't think I have ever seen McCoy throw the football downfield with any sort of power or zip and that worries me - as does his penchant for running despite his slender frame.  I think it's stupid to bet against Tebow, but he couldn't be further from McDaniels looks for a quarterback in terms of technicals.  I'm going to throw Sean Canfield (a QB I actually like a lot from Oregon State and actually fits McDaniels' mold as far as I can see) into the mix here as guys who may or may not be good pros, but aren't worth an early or mid pick to try out when we have so many other holes.

This leads me to my final, and what seems to be the most common method here on MHR to obtain a 3rd QB.  The latter rounds of the draft.  In my two mocks I've head the Broncos take Tim Hiller of Western Michigan and Levi Brown of Troy in the 7th Round.  I've seen a lot of people have them take Dan LeFevour in the 6th.  This makes the most sense up this point, but bare with me for a moment.

If we're prepared to spend a 6th or 7th round pick on a developmental QB, why not use it on one who is already familiar with McDaniels and his offense?  During training camp, New England cut former 3rd round pick and many of us were rather enthusiastic about Denver pursuing him.  They did, but he was claimed by Detroit and then later by the Jets.  Since then, there has been very little chatter about him as far as I have read.  He is still currently on the Jets roster, but behind Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, and Eric Ainge on the depth chart.   By all accounts O'Connell seems happy there and the Jets like him - but would they be unwilling to accept a 7th round pick for him?  I can't see why they would when they're committed to the other three.

O'Connell came out of San Diego State as a QB known for tremendous athleticism and a cannon for an arm.  He was also known as a very intelligent player and an asset in the locker room.  Whether or not we get him, I still would bet on Orton or Brandstater as being the future of this team - but I also think it couldn't hurt to let McDaniels have another crack at him.

What do you guys think?