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Mike Klis of the Denver Post has reported that the Broncos will explore the possibility of signing quarterback Peyton Manning.

There’s a buzz in league circles much stronger than that.

One league source told PFT in response to the Klis report that there’s a belief the Broncos quietly have positioned themselves to make a significant push to land Manning.

If successful, it makes sense. The only way to cure Tebowmania is to replace the current starter with someone clearly better, and a nearly healthy Peyton Manning is just that.

It’s unknown what the Broncos would do with Tim Tebow, if they land Manning. Presumably, Tebow would take a back seat to Peyton. Or perhaps the Broncos would have the right opening to move Tebow to a new position.

The problem the Broncos face is that, if they fail to land Manning, they’ll make a somewhat awkward situation a lot more awkward — especially since Tebow and Manning are both represented by the same agency.

And here’s one last thing to keep in mind. Even though Peyton was released on Wednesday, everyone has known it was coming for weeks. Surely, teams were talking to Manning’s camp. Even more surely, one or more teams already have gained some separation from the pack.