One by one, the top veteran quarterbacks have fallen into place this week in free agency.
Matt Hasselbeck to Tennessee. Donovan McNabb to Minnesota. Kevin Kolb to Arizona. Carson Palmer to the Bingo Hall.
Kyle Orton is the last veteran QB left for the Dolphins / AP
Late Thursday, another option came off the board when the Eagles agreed to a 1-year deal with Vince Young to be Michael Vick’s backup, according to NFL Network.
And as the Dolphins open training camp this morning in Davie, one thing has become abundantly clear – it’s Kyle Orton or Bust for the Dolphins.
The Dolphins and Broncos have talked about a deal for Orton for the past two days, but the talks have stalled as the two teams quibble over the compensation and the Dolphins’ talks with Orton have stalled over a restructured contract.
But if the Dolphins want a solid veteran quarterback to push/take over for Chad Henne, Orton is the only one left.
Even most of the marginal quarterbacks have found a landing spot: Tarvaris Jackson to Seattle; Tyler Thigpen to Buffalo; Bruce Gradkowski to Cincinnati.
Here is a list of the remaining free agent quarterbacks. It isn’t pretty:
Derek Anderson
Marc Bulger
Brodie Croyle
Jake Delhomme
Trent Edwards
Brett Favre
Charlie Frye
Matt Moore
Billy Volek
None of those quarterbacks has any sort of resume comparable to Orton, who has thrown 41 touchdowns against 21 interceptions his past two seasons.
But the Dolphins might have to settle for one of these quarterbacks. ESPN’s Adam Schefter said this morning that “The prospects of that (Orton-to-Miami) trade have diminished significantly.”
Of the group of available quarterbacks, a league source tells the Post that the Dolphins already have had preliminary discussions with Moore, the former Panthers quarterback who entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He signed with Tony Sparano and Jeff Ireland with the Cowboys back then, and they tried to sneak him onto the practice squad, but Carolina snapped him up and let him start 13 games over the past four years. Former Cleveland Browns scout Russ Lande called Moore “perhaps the most intriguing quarterback available” earlier this summer.
It is very likely that the Dolphins have also had preliminary discussions with other quarterbacks on that list, and Delhomme, who played for Dolphins offensive coordinator Brian Daboll last year in Cleveland, makes some sense.
But none of those quarterbacks is Orton, who looks like the only real option to push Henne during training camp.
The Dolphins still have one last ace in the hole, and it involves Young, who was released by Tennessee yesterday and remains on waivers until 4 p.m. today. Though Young likely has a deal in place to join Philly, the Dolphins can still snap him up today. They would be responsible for his $8.5 million salary, but they would hold his rights.
The Dolphins could then try to renegotiate Young’s contract, or release him before Aug. 4 and not have to owe him a penny. So Young is technically still in play until 4 p.m. today.
But it has become increasingly clear – it’s Orton or Bust for Miami.
