Kyle Orton could have gone somewhere where he could compete for the starting job. But he chose the Cowboys, where he will backup Tony Romo.
"I thought about it. It was a consideration," Orton said Wednesday in his first comments since joining the Cowboys as a free agent. "But this fit best for me right now."
Orton arguably was the top backup quarterback on the free-agent market. A fourth-round pick of the Chicago Bears in 2005, he has gone 35-34 in 69 starts for the Bears, the Broncos and the Chiefs with 14,532 passing yards, 80 touchdowns and 57 interceptions.
"We rated all the free-agent quarterbacks, and he was at the top of our list, but we figured he was in a position where somebody would get him to start," said Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, who coached Orton when both were in Chicago. "I think teams actually did [want him as a starter], but he wanted to be in a defined role. It’s not about lack of competitor or anything like that. He just for peace of mind and where he is in his career. We’re very fortunate to have somebody at that age that has that much experience."
Orton, 29, said he hopes to be a starter again one day. But after signing a three-year, $10.5 million deal with the Cowboys, his role for now is as Romo's backup.
"I’m convinced in my game," Orton said. "There’s no doubt about it. But my only goal right now is to help the Cowboys win."
-- Charean Williams
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