Denver, CO -- (Sports Network) - The Denver Broncos have named Kyle Orton their starting quarterback for the 2009 season.

Head coach Josh McDaniels made the announcement Saturday, saying Orton had edged out Chris Simms to become the starting signal-caller.

"We've said from day one that when it was clear and apparent to us through a number of practices, meetings and those type of things that you evaluate the quarterback on that we would make a decision, and we have," McDaniels said following the second day of the team's final minicamp. "That certainly does not mean that there won't be competition now or in training camp, because there will."

Orton came to Denver in the deal that sent disgruntled QB Jay Cutler to Chicago in April.

Orton had been with the Bears since being picked in the fourth round of the 2005 draft out of Purdue. He started 15 games in 2008 and got the team into a playoff position with three straight wins in December, but a loss to Houston in the last week of the season kept the team from having any chance of postseason play. He's still coming off a career-best season in which he totaled 2,972 yards and 18 touchdowns passing.

In 33 starts with Chicago, Orton had a 55.3 completion percentage for 5,319 yards, 30 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. Also, he fumbled the ball 20 times, with 10 of those being lost.

"Kyle is extremely underrated," Simms said. "I've always felt that way. He was underrated in college and he was underrated with the Bears. He throws the ball very well, he's a smart guy and he's a big guy. There are a lot of pluses about Kyle and I have the ultimate respect for his game."