It's beginning to look like Josh McDaniels thinks even less of Mike Shanahan's personnel judgment than the rest of us did.

The Broncos' new coach can't seem to get his predecessor's players out of Dove Valley fast enough.

When this is confined to Shanahan's defense, it's hard to argue. You could probably put together a cast of castoffs and not do much worse. In fact, that's basically what Shanahan did.

I'm not entirely sure why you'd start rebuilding around a 35-year-old safety, but let's give McDaniels the benefit of the doubt and assume he has a plan. Maybe the Brian Dawkins signing is about installing an attitude. It is certainly not about bringing in the final piece of the puzzle.

But carving up Shanahan's offense is another issue entirely. Although the team's point production last year was mediocre, its yardage was prodigious. With an offense as young as the one Jay Cutler led, that differential was more a measure of potential than dysfunction.

So what possible reason would you have to ditch a 25-year-old franchise quarterback who just fell into your lap? The way McDaniels pitched it to my colleague Mike Klis, he's not really trying to. He and general manager Brian Xanders are just taking calls and listening, like any responsible stewards of a team trying to improve.

Given that both McDaniels and Xanders are rookies in their current jobs, it's just possible they are actually naive enough to believe you can entertain offers for your franchise quarterback, particularly an offer that would bring you the quarterback you coached last year, and not make any waves in your own organization.

But if they're that naive, the Broncos have more to worry about than this little dust storm.

Cutler told Klis he's heard he's still on the block, even after the three-way deal for Matt Cassel fell through and Cassel was dealt to Kansas City.

It's impossible to know if this is true. Cutler doesn't have firsthand information, and McDaniels' denials are as predictable as Pat Bowlen's preseason prediction — right up until the moment a trade is actually consummated.

Frankly, I'm trying to figure out why you'd even take calls about Cutler unless the guy on the other end of the line was mentioning Philip Rivers, Peyton Manning or, possibly, Matt Ryan.

Cutler's age, arm strength and intelligence make him a terrific NFL asset. At the risk of bringing John Elway into this, let's look just at their third-year numbers as a cautionary tale, knowing how things turned out for Elway:

Cutler completed 62 percent of his passes for 4,526 yards, 25 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Elway completed 54 percent of his passes for 3,891 yards, 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

In other words, there is absolutely nothing about Cutler's numbers so far that suggests anything but a normal, possibly accelerated, learning curve.

Shanahan made him the third quarterback taken in 2006 — behind Vince Young and Matt Leinart — and he's clearly the best of the three so far.

For all his mistakes in the draft, and there were plenty, Shanahan had a very good year in 2006. He also got Tony Scheffler, Brandon Marshall, Elvis Dumervil, Domenik Hixon and Chris Kuper in that draft. But Cutler was the centerpiece — a strong, mobile, intelligent quarterback to build around for a decade, maybe longer.

Are there maturity issues? Sure there are. But no worse than Elway's at that age, not to bring him into it again.

I wouldn't take Cassel for him straight up. And the idea that McDaniels and Xanders entertained that possibility suggests a comfort level with Cassel the new coach doesn't feel with Cutler. That's a little strange considering he has yet to get on a practice field with Cutler. But what other explanation is there?

No one, including McDaniels, has yet said it was the Broncos who nixed the deal. That suggests they were at least open to it.

Cutler pronounced himself "shocked," which pretty much describes my reaction too. I don't understand why you would risk opening a gulf between you and your quarterback, because I don't understand why you'd even consider making that deal. Cassel had one very nice year, but Cutler is the better athlete in pretty much every way.

McDaniels insists now that he has no interest in trading Cutler. I hope that's true because that would be the smart, if belated, position to take. Presumably, with a little work, he can repair a relationship that Cutler says has "taken a few steps backward."

But there are only two interpretations of what's happened so far, and neither one is good. Either McDaniels, on the basis of a single season, actually considered Cassel for Cutler, or he was too naive to understand what those discussions would mean to the Broncos' incumbent quarterback.

This is one personnel move Shanahan got absolutely right. The smartest thing McDaniels can do is leave it alone.

And get someone to screen his calls.

Dave Krieger: 303-954-1294 or