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With word that the Cleveland Browns will try to trade quarterback Colt McCoy, I’ve been asked often if he will fit in the AFC West. Oakland is the only team in the division without a true backup at that position. If the Oakland Raiders want to bring in McCoy, fine, built I don’t think it is pressing and I’m not a big McCoy fan, so I don’t think it should be a priority. There is a report that says McCoy could be sent to Green Bay.

In other AFC West news:

ESPN’s Ed Werder reported the Cowboys could listen to offers for cornerback Mike Jenkins. I think he could be a good fit for Oakland and he is fairly inexpensive. It may be worth a call for the Raiders.

Please check out our draft tracker. It has analysis and video of each pick and offers nice insight into new Chief Dontari Poe and new Charger Melvin Ingram.

The inevitable has happened: Brandon Carr is a former Kansas City Chief.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the cornerback has signed a five-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys worth $50.1 million. There was a lot of talk at the NFL combine last month that Dallas would make a run at Carr.

Carr’s departure from Kansas City was a foregone conclusion when the Chiefs signed former Oakland Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt on Feb. 20. After Routt was signed, the Chiefs said they had interest in retaining Carr, but it didn’t make any financial sense for Kansas City and it didn’t make any sense for Carr.

The Chiefs essentially chose to go with Routt because he was cheaper (he signed a three-year, $18 million deal in Kansas City) and he gave the Chiefs clarity at the position prior to free agency. Routt and Carr are considered comparable players. Both would be the No. 2 cornerback in Kansas City behind Brandon Flowers, who signed a big deal in Kansas City last year. Carr was a fifth-round pick by the Chiefs in 2008.

In other AFC West news:

Don’t be surprised if the Raiders get in play for former St. Louis cornerback Ron Bartell. He’d be the Raiders' top cornerback. Oakland is desperately trying to get in the cornerback game in free agency now that they finally have some room to maneuver.

The Denver Broncos are visiting with Cleveland Browns veteran safety Mike Adams.

Denver has a visit planned with Miami defensive tackle Paul Soliai. However, the Dolphins are still interested in retaining him.

Kansas City backup running back Jackie Battle has interest from three teams. There is a chance he does not return to Kansas City.

Kyle Orton took the Jason Campbell route out of the AFC West.

A former starter in the division, Orton has quickly decided to further his career as the backup to Tony Romo in Dallas on a three-year deal, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Tuesday, former Oakland starter Jason Campbell went to Chicago to back up Jay Cutler for a year.

Orton was the former starter in Denver and he started the final three games of the season in Kansas City and led the Chiefs to a 2-1 record. But Orton most likely didn’t find any starting opportunities on the market, so he went to a solid team as a backup.

Kansas City head coach Romeo Crennel, who inserted Orton as the starter in his first move as interim coach last season, often praised Orton. Crennel and Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli both expressed interest in Orton.

Yet, the Chiefs likely didn’t tell Orton he had a strong chance to compete with Matt Cassel. It would be strange if Orton bypassed a chance to compete to start to take a clear backup job.

This is another indication Cassel will remain the starter in Kansas City.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting San Francisco is battling Dallas for Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr. There is little chance Carr will return to Kansas City. The Chiefs chose instead to sign former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.

If Carr goes to San Francisco, perhaps Oakland could get in on 49ers’ free agent cornerback Carlos Rogers. The Rams are talking to Saints cornerback Tracy Porter. He has been considered a possible candidate for Oakland, because he played for new Raiders coach Dennis Allen in New Orleans.

In other AFC West news:

Oakland free-agent Michael Bush tweeted that he has just arrived in Arizona. He did not indicate whether he is visiting with the Cardinals. However, with free agency open, it’s a possibility. UPDATE: Bush later tweeted that he is in Arizona to train.

NFL.com is reporting Kansas City quarterback Kyle Orton is getting interest from Washington and Dallas. The Redskins are expected to draft Robert Griffin III, so Orton would likely be a backup in both spots. Kansas City has said it would like to see Orton return and compete with Matt Cassel. If Orton doesn’t opt to stay, perhaps it is because he thinks Cassel will be the starter in Kansas City.

NFL.com is reporting Oakland receiver Chaz Schilens will visit Arizona and the Jets. Schilens is from the Phoenix area.

ESPN's John Clayton is reporting Washington is talking to Denver receiver Eddie Royal. That makes total sense. Washington coach Mike Shanahan drafted Royal in 2008, and Royal excelled under Shanahan as a rookie.

Would Jason Campbell rather back up Jay Cutler or Carson Palmer?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Campbell, Oakland’s former starter, is set to visit with the Bears.

He’d back up Cutler there.

Like Kansas City’s Kyle Orton (Schefter is reporting he will visit Dallas, where he’d backup Tony Romo), Campbell is clearly having trouble finding a place where he’d compete to start. I’m a bit surprised by that.

Campbell has been the victim of terrible luck. He broke his collarbone in October and the Raiders then traded two premium picks for Palmer. The Raiders are now married to Palmer. If Campbell leaves Oakland, it is clear he is looking for change of scenery rather than being open to signing with the Raiders to back up Palmer.

The Bears likely would be willing to give Campbell more than Oakland. A potential backup quarterback in Oakland is Matt Leinart. He was just cut by Houston. Oakland’s new offensive coordinator is Greg Knapp. He was previously Leinart’s quarterbacks coach in Houston.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Kansas City quarterback Kyle Orton will visit the Cowboys.

He would back up Tony Romo in Dallas. This is surprising to me. I would think Orton could get a chance to compete for a starting job elsewhere. But for his first visit to be a place where he would be a backup is an indication he may not currently have better options.

The Chiefs have said they would like to keep Orton and have him compete with Matt Cassel. To me, that seems like a better option than in Dallas for Orton.

Also, Miami quarterback Chad Henne is going to visit Jacksonville, Schefter reports. There has been some talk he could interest the Chiefs and Broncos. Also, if Henne ends up in Jacksonville, that could take a potential spot away from Tim Tebow in Jacksonville. The Broncos would likely call the Jaguars about Tebow -- who is from Jacksonville -- if the Broncos land Peyton Manning.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting Denver will visit with Chicago free-agent safety Brandon Meriweather and Kansas City cornerback Brandon Carr will visit the Dallas Cowboys.

Meriweather was cut by New England last season. He played in 11 games and had four starts for the Bears. I don’t think he would be an overly expensive pickup for Denver is he signs. The Broncos are looking for a veteran safety with Brian Dawkins considering retirement.

Dallas has been considered a top landing spot for Carr. There is little chance he will return to the Chiefs. The Chiefs signed former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt last month.

Don’t be surprised if the Denver Broncos make a push for safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who was released by the Washington Redskins on Monday.

The Broncos were in the mix for him last year and they want to add a veteran safety in free agency. He is represented by the former agency firm of new Denver salary-cap man Mike Sullivan, so Denver could have an advantage.

In other AFC West news:

— The Chiefs announced they have re-signed defensive lineman Amon Gordon. Terms were not disclosed. Gordon is a rotational player. A career journeyman, Gordon found a role in Romeo Crennel’s defense in 2011, netting 20 tackles and two sacks.

— Brandon Stokley — a former teammate of Peyton Manning — has worked out with Manning and believes he is, indeed, the same old Manning. Manning worked out with Stokley on Saturday after his visit with the Broncos. Manning missed all of last season following multiple neck surgeries.

— UT-San Diego believes the Chargers may be priced out of the Vincent Jackson talks when free agency starts Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.

— In an Insider piece, Gary Horton thinks the Chargers and the Raiders could take a big hit in free agency.

— The Cowboys’ pursuit of Chiefs’ cornerback Brandon Carr and the Redskins’ pursuit of Jackson perhaps will be affected by the sudden loss of significant salary-cap room. The Raiders are one of two teams who will not benefit from Dallas and Washington’s losses because of minor infractions.

— The Vikings cut guard Steve Hutchinson during the weekend. While the Chargers seem prepared to go with Tyronne Green as Kris Dielman’s replacement, Hutchinson provides another option.

UPDATE: The Raiders announced they extended one-year contract tenders to restricted free agent Desmond Bryant and exclusive rights free agents, Mason Brodine, Bryan McCann and Marcel Reece.

Minutes before the deadline, the Kansas City Chiefs did what was long expected of them: they placed the franchise tag on receiver Dwayne Bowe.

"Today was the league’s deadline to designate a franchise player and we felt it was in the best interest of the Kansas City Chiefs to place the tag on Dwayne," Kansas City general manager Scott Pioli said in a statement released by the team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Feb. 25 that Bowe will be franchised. Here were my thoughts on that report.

There was little chance the Chiefs, who are in excellent salary-cap position, would allow Bowe to hit the open market. Expect the Chiefs to try to sign Bowe to a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline. If Bowe is not given a long-term deal, he will be set to be an unrestricted free agent again next year.

Pioli has done a good job of keeping the Chiefs’ best players and has gotten off to a good start in free agency. The Chiefs have already secured Bowe and former Oakland cornerback Stanford Routt. He was signed two weeks ago.

The Chiefs’ top unrestricted free agent is cornerback Brandon Carr. There is little chance he will return. Expect Dallas to be among the teams to make a big push for Carr.

Bob Glauber of Newsday tweeted that the Colts are not inclined to pursue tampering charges against Kansas City coach Romeo Crennel for comments he made about Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning on Saturday at the NFL combine.

From what I hear, I don’t expect the NFL to pursue charges, either. I expressed my thoughts on the silly saga Monday.

In other AFC West news:

The word at the combine was Cincinnati free-agent Jonathan Fanene could fit in with the Broncos. He is a versatile 4-3 player who can play both defensive end and tackle.

Another tidbit uncovered at the combine is that Oakland will be looking for linebackers aggressively in free agency and in the draft. Kamerion Wimbley and Aaron Curry are potential candidates for release in Oakland as the Raiders work to get under the salary cap.

It was a good day at the combine for potential AFC West prospects. Defensive tackles Dontari Poe of Memphis and Fletcher Cox of Mississippi State, and middle linebacker Luke Kuechly of Boston College all performed well at the combine Monday. The Broncos might be interested in Poe and Cox, and the Chiefs might look at Kuechly.

There is a report that the Jets will allow linebacker Bart Scott to seek a trade. He’s a 3-4 linebacker. I don’t see the two teams in the AFC West that run a 3-4, Kansas City and San Diego, making a run at Scott through a trade.

He is getting older and is on the decline. Perhaps if he becomes a free agent and is inexpensive, there could be interest. The Raiders will run some 3-4 looks, and it is possible it becomes a 3-4 defense based on its personnel heading to training camp, according to coach Dennis Allen, and it will need linebackers. I’m not sure if Scott would be the type of player the Raiders would pursue.

One team to keep an eye on in the Brandon Carr pursuit is Dallas. Word at the combine was the Cowboys could make an aggressive run at the Chiefs’ cornerback.

Being arrested on the suspicion of drunk driving is not exactly the formula a player on the roster bubble should follow.

That is the position Denver running back Knowshon Moreno is reportedly in. A Denver television station reported that the No. 12 overall pick of the 2009 draft was arrested on drunken driving charges near Denver in his Bentley convertible.

Moreno is rehabilitating a torn ACL he suffered during the season. Denver is expected to bring in a running back either early in the draft or in free agency. Moreno lost his starting job to Willis McGahee last season.

His best chances of having a role in Denver in 2012 is probably as a third-down back.

"We take the incident involving Knowshon Moreno very seriously, and are thoroughly reviewing this matter," the team said in a statement. "Our organization will continue to gather information and closely monitor this issue while the legal process takes its course."

Denver linebacker D.J. Williams and kicker Matt Prater have been arrested for drunk driving in the past.

In other AFC West notes:

Raiders’ legend Willie Brown is not currently listed on the team’s list of coaches.

The Raiders have made their primary coaching additions, but they still have some hires to make.

Denver quarterback Tim Tebow said in a radio interview that he was a Dallas Cowboys’ fan growing up.

Eli from Pasadena, Calif., wants to know if I could see LaDainian Tomlinson playing for the San Diego Chargers again.

Bill Williamson: No, I don’t see that happening, Eli. I know Tomlinson, who has spent the past two seasons with the New York Jets, has said he’d be open to signing with the Chargers or any other team in the NFL. Still, I think the Chargers have moved on and would not be interested in bringing him back. Perhaps Tomlinson will one day retire as a Charger, but I don’t see him playing for them again.

Kyle Vinyard from Salem, Ore., wants to know if I think the Kansas City Chiefs could draft Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly.

BW: The Chiefs will look at the the offensive line and the defensive line, but Kuechly is certainly a name to consider. The Chiefs will pick either 11th or 12th depending on the outcome of a coin flip with the Seattle Seahawks.

Tyler from Hamilton, Ontario, wants to know if Denver Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas will prove he was a better pick than Dez Bryant.

BW: Thomas was the No. 22 pick and Bryant was taken two picks later in the 2010 draft. Bryant was considered the best receiver available in the draft. But the decision to take Thomas over Bryant was based on Bryant’s off-field issues. Bryant is a special player, but Thomas also has a high ceiling, plus he hasn’t had any off-field problems. The key with Thomas is his health. If he can stay healthy he has a chance to be a perennial Pro Bowl player.

How long will the Denver Broncos' option offense work?

The team clearly hopes it works as long as possible, hopefully through this season so the Broncos can make their final decision on quarterback Tim Tebow's future in the offseason.

Denver coach John Fox believes it's the offense Tebow is most qualified to run right now. So it's either option or bust for Denver.

“We’re just trying to win football games, that’s all we’re trying to do, take advantage of the guys on our football team and utilize their talents the best we can to win,” Denver offensive coordinator Mike McCoy recently told reporters in Denver.

With the 5-5 Broncos in the AFC West hunt -- they are 4-1 in Tebow’s five starts – there’s little chance the Broncos will risk changing the offense now. There’s not enough time to make Tebow an NFL-quality pocket-passer during the rest of the season.

While Denver has been hot, relying on the option offense is still a major risk in the final six weeks of the season. What if the San Diego Chargers completely shut down the option offense on Sunday?

After the Broncos had terrific success using variations on the option at Oakland and Kansas City, it was shut down for a big portion of Denver’s Week 11 game against the New York Jets. But the offense clicked when Tebow led an aggressive, 12-play, 95-yard drive that culminated in a 20-yard touchdown run by Tebow.

The truth is, the Broncos have become better in every phase of the game since Tebow took over. The key for him is to continue to buy himself time. For each victory, Tebow will earn another chance to convince Denver football leader John Elway he can be the long-term solution at quarterback.

Despite the win-loss success, there have been red flags. Tebow has had a completion percentage of less than 50 percent in all four victories. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, he is only the second quarterback to do that in four wins in one season in the past 20 seasons -- and there’s plenty of time left in this season.

The legendary Elway is one of the strongest-armed quarterbacks ever to play. He can’t be thrilled to see his first team as an NFL executive play leatherheads football. Who would have ever thought an Elway team would be a gimmick-led offense? Shannon Sharpe -- a fellow Hall of Famer who was one of Elway’s favorite targets -- said Denver’s current offense is straight out of the “Big Eight days." After he watched the offense beat his brother Rex’s Jets, Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said seeing the option offense in the NFL made him “vomit.”

Elway is clearly not convinced, either. He angered many Denver and Tebow fans earlier in the week when he said on radio that he is not yet committed to Tebow for the long term. In the meantime, Elway and his staff have scouted many of the top collegiate quarterback prospects this fall.

It’s difficult to find anyone who thinks the option offense can really fly in Denver in the long term. Countless analysts have panned the offense, calling it nothing more than a survival move. Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Steve Young was one of the most ardent opponents of the idea. He said several times on the air that it is a disservice to Tebow because it is stunting his development and he guaranteed it will not work for the long haul. ESPN’s Merril Hoge and Mel Kiper have also chimed in with similar thoughts.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. agrees. He can’t see the Broncos’ offense lasting even long enough to let the Broncos overtake first-place Oakland (6-4) in the division race. Plus, Williamson is unsure if Tebow can withstand the pounding he’ll take using this offense the rest of the season.

“I do not think it can be the long-term answer,” Williamson said. “The quarterback just takes too much of a beating and this league is won through the air.”

The key for Denver to continue to have success with the offense for the rest of the season, Williamson said, is to add wrinkles. The Broncos added different option plays each week and that probably will continue Sunday at San Diego after a 10-day break since the Jets game.

For the team’s short-term success and Tebow’s long-term future, the Broncos must continue to develop their take on this ancient offense or the back-to-the future experiment could all go away in a cloud of dust.

One of the weirdest quarterback seasons in AFC West history has taken another strange twist Wednesday.

Kyle Orton is going directly from the bench in Denver to the huddle in Kansas City as the Chiefs clearly think they can stay in the divisional playoff race.

This division has seen Tebowmania. It has seen Philip Rivers have his worst NFL season. It has seen Jason Campbell go down in a heap and the Raiders responding by giving up two premium picks to get Carson Palmer off the couch.

Now this.

The Chiefs jumped on Denver’s decision to say goodbye to its former starter. Expect the Chiefs to quickly try to get Orton on the field. They did not assume the final $2.5 million of his deal to keep him on the bench.

It may be too much to ask for Orton (who missed practice in Kansas City on Wednesday) to join the team and start Sunday night against visiting Pittsburgh. However, he could be available in an emergency situation before taking over in December.

I’d expect Tyler Palko to make his second NFL start Sunday and then give way to Orton. Palko was 25-of-38 passing for 236 yards in a 34-3 loss at New England. He threw three interceptions. Palko was named the starter when Matt Cassel was lost for the season in Week 10 – against Denver – with a broken hand.

I’m sure the Chiefs were ready to roll with Palko as their starter and Ricky Stanzi (who now becomes the No. 3 quarterback again) as the backup. But when Orton became available, the Chiefs took advantage of the rare opportunity of picking up a healthy, experienced veteran this late in the season.

Ironically, Orton will likely make his first start Dec. 4 at Chicago. The Bears and Dallas (likely in an attempt to keep Orton from the Bears) made a claim on Orton. He was awarded to the Chiefs because they had claiming priority.

The Bears wanted Orton because starter Jay Cutler will be out for several weeks with a broken thumb. In another twist in this story of many twists, Orton was traded from Chicago to Denver in 2009 in a package for Cutler.

Give credit to Kansas City for snagging Orton. It shows the team is not ready to lay down the rest of the season. The Chiefs, who have been battered by injuries all season, have lost three straight games to drop to 4-6. Plus the Chiefs, who are two games behind AFC West-leading Oakland, have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL.

Still, they jumped at the chance to spend some money and get better.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. said he liked the Chiefs’ gumption.

“He is certainly an improvement and very familiar with the division,” Williamson said. “Seems like a bit of a desperation move from guys that might be on the hot seat, but, I guess, I can’t condemn it too much. He fits their offense as they run first and then he can take some shots to [Dwayne] Bowe.”

It may be a stretch to think Orton will be enough to push the staggering Chiefs back into the race. But he is a professional passer who has some decent weapons to throw to. Thus, the Chiefs will be better with Orton than without him. Maybe Orton is the missing link in Kansas City. After all, who could have predicted anything that has happened in this division this season?

A day after Tim Tebow, once again, saved the day for his team, Denver coach John Fox referred to him as a “great player” and he wished the oft-examined player wouldn’t be so “scrutinized.”

Also Friday, Fox told the Denver Post that he regretted comments he made to NFL.com earlier in the week. Fox told the website that the second-year quarterback would be “screwed’ if he had to play in a “regular” offense.

The Broncos have been relying on the option offense the past three games to best utilize Tebow's running abilities and minimize his throwing issues. Denver has won all three games and it is 4-1 this season with Tebow as its starter. Tebow has energized the entire team: It is 5-5 and it is a half-game out of first place in the AFC West.

After struggling much of Thursday's game, Tebow led Denver on a stirring 12-play, 95-yard touchdown drive – culminating on a terrific Tebow 20-yard touchdown run with 58 seconds to knock off the visiting Jets 17-13.

Thus, the magic of Tebow continues. No matter his struggles, he has found a way to win. While Denver is not ready to commit to Tebow beyond this season, Fox surely appears to enjoy watching Tebow play. Fox expects him to continue to grow — and says he would love to see the appreciation of Tebow grow, too.

“I get to be with him every day, and ‘horrible’ isn’t in the vocabulary, but I think a guy like him — he’s real; he walks the walk — a guy like that in today’s society, in my mind, ought to be celebrated and not scrutinized to the level that he is,” Fox told reporters in Denver on Friday. “That’s just one man’s opinion, but he’s got our team from 1-4 back to 5-5. … Time will tell when our body of work is done, but I think Tim has done a terrific job.”

There’s no doubt Tebow is doing a lot of great things, despite his lack of ideal pocket-passing ability. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Tebow's clinching score was the longest game-winning touchdown run by a quarterback in the final minute of the fourth quarter in NFL history. Yes, NFL history. Not too shabby, huh?

According to ESPN Stats & Information, Tebow has been more clutch to start his career than legendary Denver quarterback John Elway. It’s the same John Elway who is now Denver’s top football decision-maker and who will ultimately decide if the Broncos move forward with Tebow calling the signals. Comparing Tebow’s eight NFL starts to Elway’s first eight starts, Tebow has a better record, has thrown for more yardage, has thrown more touchdown passes, has thrown fewer interceptions and has run for more touchdowns than Elway, who ended up in the Hall of Fame.

It should be noted, though, there was never any doubt about Elway’s potential as a pro-style quarterback. That’s what Denver’s brass wants Tebow eventually to show.

Until then, the Broncos will continue to run the option with Tebow. Still, in an ESPN Insider piece, Mel Kiper thinks it is a mistake for Denver to run the offense; on Friday, Dallas defensive coordinator Rob Ryan – whose brother Rex Ryan is the coach of Tebow’s last victim – added his voice to the legions who don’t think running the option will result in long-term NFL success.

Still, none of this matters at this point. Tebow is leading the Broncos to victories, and as Fox has pointed out, that is all that matters at this point.