It's not a level playing field. It's a business. That doesn't make it corrupt. And fans' emotional attachment to favorite players doesn't change the economics of it.

A first round pick is a significant commodity for an organization. Benching him for a UFA would lower his value throughout the NFL and crush his confidence. So you're right -- cutting him would be foolish. The smart thing is to keep coaching and developing him and to hope the lightbulb clicks on in the next year or two.  

Now, how Os is a better option than Sloter....I am waiting for an explanation to emerge. But it's a little lazy to say it's Elway's ego, or that he's stupid. All of the coaches....Musgrave, McCoy, Joseph, sit around a table and talk about Sloter with Elway for hours. They know his tendencies vs. all the QBs they've groomed in their careers and how he may or may not perform vs. the defenses on their schedule.  Elway's not infallible. But he's not stupid.