Ranking the 10 best Denver Broncos quarterbacks in franchise history

9. Kyle Orton (2009-2011)

Regular season record: 12-21
Playoff Record: NA

No. 7 All-Time Broncos passing yardage: 8,434

When Josh McDaniels took over as the head coach in Denver in 2009, he started out with a splash. McDaniels traded away Jay Cutler, sending him to the Chicago Bears for a package of players and picks. One player he landed was Kyle Orton, who wound up becoming the starting quarterback for the next two and a half seasons.

Orton was a pleasant surprise, leading the Broncos to a 6-0 start that year. They even knocked off the New England Patriots 20-17 in overtime — which was an emotionally charged game for McDaniels.

After the bye week, however, things started to fall apart. Denver lost four in a row and eight of their final 10 games. McDaniels wore out his welcome before long but Orton still did his job and won the fans over.

In 2009, he threw for 3,802 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 picks. He followed that up with 3,653 yards and a 20-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio. However, they were just 3-10 that year when Orton played.

He managed to start just five games in 2011 before being released but still finished his career in Denver respectfully. Orton completed 60.3 percent of his attempts for 8,434 yards with 49 touchdowns against 28 picks. It was fair to say they won that trade, even if McDaniels himself ran the team into the ground.