Kyle Orton takes off the glove

Kyle Orton has worn a glove on his right hand since injuring it Week 3 of the preseason. (Scott Boehm/Getty Images)

For the first time since suffering a dislocated finger in the preseason, Denver Broncos quarterback Kyle Orton was seen practicing without wearing a glove on his throwing hand Wednesday.

Since practices are only open to the media for the first ten to fifteen minutes, it’s very possible Orton put the glove back on some time later during Wednesday’s session. However, the fact that he’s testing throwing without it is encouraging.

“This is as good as it has been so far,” Orton told reporters before practice. “I think there is definitely a chance that I can play without it this week.”

Perhaps more encouraging is Orton’s omission from the team’s Wednesday injury report. The starting signal caller had been listed on every prior injury report this season, either as limited or full participation in practice. On Wednesday he wasn’t listed at all.

Orton suffered an open dislocation of his right index finger — “open” meaning the bone jarred violently enough from its joint to break the skin — during the Broncos’ Week 3 preseason game against the Chicago Bears.

It’s been pointed out often since Orton suffered the injury that the index finger is the last finger to touch the football, and therefore the most important to the delivery of a tight spiral after its release. Luckily, Orton hasn’t been terribly affected by the glove — he is one of only three starting quarterbacks in the NFL yet to throw an interception.

He did, however, admit that the glove has skewed a few of his passes. “I would say a couple here and there,” Orton said, “but the majority of the time, I have played pretty well with or without it, throwing the ball where I have wanted to wearing it.”

“I have thrown a couple of low balls which I wish I would not have had, but on the majority of the throws, it hasn’t been an issue.”

The question is, will the glove stay off?

“I am not going to try to play with it hurting or anything like that without the glove,” Orton said. “If it feels better with it, I will just go ahead and stick with it.”

Dallas Cowboys at Denver Broncos Injury Report [BroncoTalk]