Cleveland Browns Trade Brady Quinn To Broncos For Peyton Hillis, Conditional Picks

The Broncos today did what was expected and released QB Chris Simms one day after acquiring Brady Quinn via trade with the Browns.

SB Nation’s Mile High Report says this is what was expected:

This is hardly a surprise. The Broncos are allowing Simms to become available as early as possible so that he might find another team. Chris Simms is truly one of the good guys, but you have to wonder if he’ll ever get back to the form he had as the starting quarterback in Tampa.

MHR notes that Simms never demonstrated he was capable of leading the Broncos offense in his few opportunities as a backup last season.

And with that, the ramifications of the Quinn trade are complete (for now, anyway).

As we begin to process the trade that sent Brady Quinn to the Broncos, it's important to note that the season is still six months away from starting and a lot can change. There's mini-camps, training camp and the possibility of all kinds of injuries that can change the Broncos quarterback situation.

With that said, Kyle Orton is indeed expected to be the starter for the Broncos in 2010.

According to SI's Peter King, Josh McDaniels called Orton following the Quinn trade to assure him that he's their No. 1 quarterback.

That's probably why it wasn't a surprise to hear Orton say all the right things when asked about Quinn.

"We've made a lot great moves this offseason, and this is another one," Orton said from Hawaii, where he is attending the NFL Players Association meetings. "He's a great player, and I'll be happy to work with him."

As of now, all appears peaceful in Denver but if last offseason taught us anything, that's not bound to last much longer.

We heard the mostly positive reaction from the Broncos side, now it's time to weigh in on the Browns perspective of the trade that sent Brady Quinn to the Broncos.

SB Nation's Browns community, Dawgs By Nature, isn't as excited about the trade as the Broncos side.

I still am not thrilled with the thought of "giving up" on Quinn; I guess we'll see how long it is before he takes over for Kyle Orton in Denver. If Josh McDaniels had an interest in Quinn last year and still went out and acquired him this year, I don't think he wants him to be some form of a veteran backup.

The Broncos are reportedly keeping Kyle Orton as the starter but a lot of things can change before September.

SB Nation’s Broncos community, Mile High Report, is buzzing over their team’s recent acquisition of Brady Quinn.

The consensus seems to be that Quinn, as a backup, has more upside than the other backup, Chris Simms.

Whether your like Brady Quinn or not, there is nothing about this trade to not like. There is ZERO risk for the Broncos. The Broncos now have some insurance with Kyle Orton playing on the 1-year deal. If Quinn finds himself in a new city, the Broncos come out huge winners. If not, the Broncos are no worse for wear. What’s not to like?

As of this posting, 83% of MHR readers approve of the trade.