Read more: Denver Broncos, Best QB Passer Rating, Broncos Best QB, Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow, Brady Quinn, Adam Weber, Weber has Best Rating, Weber is Denver’s Best QB, Pro, NFL

ENGLEWOOD, COLO. (AP) — The Denver Broncos quarterback that finished the preseason with the best passer rating wasn’t starter Kyle Orton.

It wasn’t Brady Quinn or Tim Tebow.

Instead, it’s undrafted free agent Adam Weber, who had a 118.8 QB after completing his one and only pass of the preseason. It was an 89-yarder to Eron Riley in the waning seconds of Denver’s 26-7 loss at Arizona on Thursday night.

The Broncos like Weber but didn’t give him much exposure during the exhibitions. Not only did they need to get a long look at Quinn and Tebow but they wanted to try to slip Weber through on waivers this weekend so they could sign him to their practice squad.

Quinn didn’t do much to distinguish himself Thursday night, but Tebow wasn’t much better.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Read More: Champ Bailey (CB – DEN), Kyle Orton (QB – DEN), Brady Quinn (QB – DEN), Denver Broncos

Brady Quinn isn’t going to unseat Kyle Orton as the Denver Broncos starting quarterback soon, but it’s looking more and more like he will be the immediate backup to Orton should the team lose Orton for any period of time.

Mike Klis of the Denver Post suggests that a strong performance by Quinn in this weekend’s preseason game could cast uncertainty on the Broncos’ quarterback depth chart. He’ll need to play against more than third-teamers this time around. Against the Dallas Cowboys’ backups to the backups, Quinn went 8-of-14 for 120 yards and one touchdown in the second half of the game.

Teammate Champ Bailey has already been impressed with the former Cleveland Browns quarterback:

“I don’t know why it is, or exactly how to explain it, but Brady is much better this year than he was last year,” Broncos star cornerback Champ Bailey said. “He just seems much more confident.”

As Klis goes on to explain, Quinn received help from Paul Hackett, a longtime defensive coordinator in the pros and in college and from David Lee, a quarterbacks coach, to work on his game. It’s paying off so far.

At this point, it shouldn’t be a surprise if Brady Quinn does force his way into being Orton’s backup.

Stick with this StoryStream as the competition heats up or a trade is made. For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report.

Read More: Willis McGahee (RB – DEN), Knowshon Moreno (RB – DEN), Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos are a rushing team looking to reestablish that once dominant ground attack they once had. Under former coach Josh McDaniels, the Broncos moved away from that and had Kyle Orton throw the ball (being down by big numbers also helped that propensity to throw). May we see a return to the days of pounding the ball?

Jeff Legwold of the Denver Post believes that if the Broncos want to win, they will need to rush the ball 500 times this season. The team ran the ball 440 times in 2009 and 398 times in 2010, a 4-10 season. Legwold then breaks down how the Broncos have a winning season almost every time the team has over 500 rushing attempts.

In the first preseason game, we did see a balanced attack between the rush and the pass. Kyle Orton, Tim Tebow and Brady Quinn combined for 27 pass attempts; Seven players rushed for 30 total carries, though we’ll drop that down to 28 since Tebow made two of those rushes. An improved Knowshon Moreno and new running back Willis McGahee will be at the forefront of this movement.

John Fox is ready to take back the ground offensive and we’ll see that more as the preseason goes on.

For more on the Broncos, visit Mile High Report. For more NFL news, check out SB Nation’s NFL hub.

Is it Tebow time yet?
(Tony Gutierrez – AP)
It was bound to happen.

Following an offseason in which most expected Kyle Orton to be dealt as the Denver Broncos turned the reins over to golden boy Tim Tebow, the veteran Orton has been the clear top performer at training camp so far. To date, the biggest QB battle in camp has been between Tebow and Brady Quinn for the backup job.

Now, after Tebow’s solid performance in the Broncos’ preseason opener Thursday in Dallas, the Tebow supporters are once again clamoring for their guy to get a shot at the starting job.

Quarterback controversy!

Tebow completed six of seven passes for 91 yards and rushed twice for 15 yards while leading the Broncos on four first half drives. Orton was just 2-for-6 on the opening drive while Quinn went 8-for-14 for 120 yards and a touchdown.

For all of Tebow’s supporters, there remain plenty of critics — and their voices are loud enough that Tebow can’t help but notice. Still, the second-year signal-caller is remaining upbeat… because that’s what Tim Tebow does.

““I just have fun, you know, playing football. I love doing that, and so when I get an opportunity, just play. It feels good. And I love doing it, so you know I’m not really down, no.”

First-year Denver coach John Fox, who has the ultimate say on what Tebow’s role will be this season, seemed pleased with the quarterback’s effort which included a vintage Tebow improv sequence that is sure to be water cooler chat material Friday in Denver.

“Tim is a work in progress. He made some things happen and he is learning. The M.O. on him when I got here is that he does ad-lib some. You don’t ever want to take that away from a player. He is a young player that I think is going to get better in time.”

In other words, no, it’s not Tebow time, yet. But will that time come this season?

By Russ Oates

– Senior Editor

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Denver on Facebook.

Aug 8, 2011 – On Thursday, the Denver Broncos will be in Dallas to play the Cowboys in their first 2011 preseason game. To no surprise, Kyle Orton will be starting quarterback for the Broncos in that game. He was listed as the No. 1 quarterback in the first 2011 preseason depth chart for the Broncos.

The quarterback position follows the depth chart we saw for most of the 2010 season. Orton is at the top, Tim Tebow follows as the backup quarterback and Brady Quinn is third. Undrafted rookie Adam Weber is fourth on the depth chart and is more likely to be on the practice squad than on Opening Day roster.

At this point, the entire depth chart can be considered fluid, but it will take a lot out of Tebow to overcome Kyle Orton over the course of the preseason. The tougher challenge for Tebow may be to halt Brady Quinn’s challenge for the No. 2 spot. With the NFL dropping the third quarterback rule, there’s always the possibility that the Broncos could keep three quarterbacks active during the season, but we’re far away from a decision on that point.

The offense is shaping up as on this first depth chart. Knowshon Moreno is first and Willis McGahee is second, as expected. Brandon Lloyd and Eddie Royal are the starting wide receivers while Matthew Willis and Eric Decker are the respective backups. David Anderson, signed last weekend, is behind Decker on the depth chart for now, but he’s likely to help in the receivers 4-6 range.

Rookie Orlando Franklin is entrenched as the starter at right tackle right now, but Ryan Clady anchors the line on the left side. Second-year players Zane Beadles and J.D. Walton are still the starters at left guard and center, respectively, but will need to prove they can be strong players for an entire season.

At tight end, Daniel Fells, signed as a free agent, sits atop the depth chart over Richard Quinn and Dan Gronkowski. The latter two could be displaced by Dante Rosario and rookies Julius Thomas and Virgil Green by the end of training camp.

The defense has been fairly easy to project and most predictions have been spot on. Elvis Dumervil and Robert Ayers are the starting defensive ends and Kevin Vickerson is one of the starters at defensive tackle. Brodrick Bunkley, acquired through a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles, is starting their right now. Maybe a mild surprise is that Ty Warren, picked up after the New England Patriots released him, is a second-teamer behind Bunkley. Jeremy Jarmon and Derrick Harvey, picked up via a trade and through free agency, are the backup defensive ends.

The starting linebackers are Von Miller on the strong side, D.J. Williams on the weak side and Joe Mays in the middle. Rookie middle linebacker Nate Irving is third on the depth chart behind Mario Haggan, who is strictly a linebacker this season. Deron Mayo, undrafted rookie and younger brother of the Patriots’ Jerod Mayo, is fourth on the weak side.

Champ Bailey and Andre Goodman are the starting corners. Perrish Cox, in legal trouble over an alleged sexual assault incident, is third on the depth chart behind Cassius Vaughn. Brian Dawkins mans the strong safety spot while rookie Rahim Moore is the starter at free safety. Fellow rookie safety Quinton Carter is third right now, but he did receive first-team reps while Dawkins sat out to rework his contract.

All in all, a fairly reasonable first depth chart. Nothing controversial to be found here, but there will be changes after Thursday’s game with the Cowboys.

Read More: Daniel Fells (TE – DEN), Ty Warren (DE – DEN), Willis McGahee (RB – DEN), Elvis Dumervil (DE – DEN), Kyle Orton (QB – DEN), Brady Quinn (QB – DEN), Eddie Royal (WR – DEN), Knowshon Moreno (RB – DEN), Jeremy Jarmon (DE – DEN), Tim Tebow (QB – DEN), Eric Decker (WR – DEN), Perrish Cox (CB – DEN), Rahim Moore (S – DEN), Quinton Carter (S – DEN), Julius Thomas (TE – DEN), Virgil Green (TE – DEN), Nate Irving (LB – DEN), Von Miller (LB – DEN), Deron Mayo (DE – DEN), Denver Broncos

Follow , and

Like SB Nation Denver on Facebook.

Do you like this story?