LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Kyle Orton performed well enough as the Bears’ starting quarterback this season to retain the job heading into next year.

“All players will have competition,” said coach Lovie Smith. “Every player is in that same group. But Kyle Orton’s our quarterback. He has done a lot of good things for us this year.”

Kyle Orton, whose contract expires after the 2009 season, will be back as Bears starting quarterback.

Orton completed 272 of 465 passes for 2,972 yards—the sixth most in Bears history—with 18 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 79.6 passer rating in 2008.

In a three-game span in October, he passed for 903 yards with five TDs and no interceptions while posting passer ratings of 121.4 and 114.5 in wins over the Lions and Vikings, respectively.

“Kyle did a great job for us all year,” said tight end Greg Olsen. “He’s the kind of guy you want behind center. He’s in control. He’s kind of the field general.

“Physically, he can make all the throws and do all that stuff. But I think the part that sets him apart is the mental stuff and what he’s able to handle and kind of get everyone in the right spot and keep everyone under control.

“There’s no doubt he’s our guy.”

Orton threw for 1,777 yards with 10 TDs, four interceptions and a 90.8 passer rating in his first eight starts before spraining his right ankle Nov. 2 against the Lions. The former Purdue star was never the same after he sustained the injury, though he refuses to use it as an excuse.

“It was a battle every game,” Orton said. “I battled throughout the week to get it feeling halfway decent and something would always happen in the game to re-tweak it. But I don’t think it affected my game a whole lot. Everybody has to battle through injuries, and I’m no different.”

Offensive coordinator Ron Turner knew that Orton was limited by the injury.

“Not to make excuses or anything, but it definitely had an effect,” Turner said. “It had an effect on his throwing. You could see that he’s not really driving the ball like he was earlier. That’s not an excuse; that’s reality.”

After poor outings in back-to-back games against the Saints and Packers, Orton completed 22 of 37 passes for 244 yards with 2 TDs, no interceptions and a 97.1 passer rating in Sunday’s season-ending loss to the Texans.

Though Orton said his ankle felt better Sunday than it has since the injury happened, it may have played a role in his decision not to tuck the ball and try to run for a key first down.

With the Bears trailing 24-17 early in the fourth quarter, it appeared that Orton could have scrambled for a first down on third-and-eight from the Houston 39. Instead, he threw an incomplete pass intended for Brandon Lloyd, and the Bears were forced to punt. The Texans followed with an 11-play, 89-yard touchdown drive that sealed the game.

“I saw Brandon, and the guy was trailing him,” Orton said. “There was some contact. I just tried to throw it outside. Looking at the pictures, I probably wish I would have tucked it and ran.”

Consider it a lesson learned by a young quarterback, who intends to work on honing all facets of his game.

“I just feel like I can keep on improving,” Orton said. “The more experience I get and the more game time I get, I’m just going to get better from there.”

Roster moves: The Bears on Monday signed seven players to reserve/futures contracts: tackle Cody Balogh, receivers John Broussard and Rudy Burgess, defensive end Joe Clermond, tight end Fontel Mines, guard Tyler Reed and linebacker Marcus Riley. All seven players finished the season on the Bears practice squad.