Sean Payton will still call some of the Denver Broncos plays, just not all of them on offense anymore, turning over the keys to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb.
The head coach confirmed the change on Tuesday from the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, which comes as a pretty major shakeup given Payton’s notoriety as one of the league’s top offensive minds.
“He’s extremely talented with regards to play calling,” Payton said of Webb. “I think he’ll be really good at it… I would only do that (give up play calling) if I felt like it would help our team.”
The news actually leaked earlier in the day when Bills general manager Brandon Beane, discussing why Buffalo interviewed Webb for their head coaching vacancy, mentioned Webb would be calling plays in Denver.
“I know Brandon Beane announced it earlier in the media,” Payton said with a smirk. “I saw him in the hallways. I thought, you can come do my presser too.”
Payton revealed the transition had been in the works since the middle of the 2025 season. Webb was working as the quarterbacks coach this past fall and Denver had Joe Lombardi as the offensive coordinator, who has since been let go. That means it’s been in the works for quite a while — well before Webb interviewed for head coaching jobs in Buffalo and Las Vegas.
“I remember there was a point during the year he and I visited, and it was relative to the position he has, but also more than just having the position — being someone that would have more input and be able to call plays,” Payton explained. “It’s still going to be our offense. But I think it’s easier to do as you get older and you look at, ‘How do we win more games?'”
The 62-year-old coach acknowledged the adjustment won’t be seamless after calling plays for more than two decades.
“Sometimes you feel like your hands are empty because you’re used to doing it for 20-some years,” Payton admitted. “But I think overall it’ll slow down a little bit. You’ll see more of the game.”
Payton pointed to a previous experience that gave him confidence in stepping back. Early in his career, an injury forced him to hand play-calling duties to then-offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael for a Sunday Night Football matchup against the Colts.
“We scored 63 points,” Payton recalled. “And I’m like, ‘Pete, you’re killing me.'”
While Webb will be the primary play-caller, Payton made clear this isn’t a complete handoff.
“I’ll still be involved with what we do offensively, just like what we do defensively,” he said. “I’m still going to call some plays on game days.”
So Bo Nix will have to get used to a new voice in his ear for his third year, but one he’s used to working with.
At just 31 years old, with only three seasons of coaching experience, Webb’s rapid rise has raised eyebrows. But Payton sees something special.
“I think he’s sharp. He’s a coach’s kid, played quarterback, and in the preseason, it was really good,” Payton said, referencing the 2025 preseason when Webb handled play-calling duties. “I do think he has a gift.”
Beane, whose Bills interviewed Webb for their head coaching vacancy, offered additional insight into what makes Webb such a coveted commodity.
“Davis is very smart,” Beane said. “When he walks into a room, he’s going to get respect because he played the game at this level, started games and was a third-round pick with the Giants.”
Beane recalled Webb’s mentality when he was a quarterback in Buffalo: “There were many times we would acquire a player in the season and Davis would say, ‘I’ll take them down to the meeting room myself and school him up.’ He’s a natural teacher, a natural communicator.”
Webb interviewed for head coaching positions in Buffalo and Las Vegas this offseason, and his name circulated as a top offensive coordinator candidate. Did the expanded role factor into his decision to stay?
Payton doesn’t think so.
“I think he was wanting to stay. Look, he interviewed at a few spots, and I think that opportunity is going to come for him to be a head coach,” Payton said. “I don’t think it was, ‘Well, I’m staying if I get to do this.’ I think he really likes what he’s begun to do here with us and the start of working with a young quarterback. It’s hard to leave that.”
The head coach believes the move is about one thing: winning.
“There’s trust there — trust with his ability and trust in our relationship,” Payton said. “I look at it as, how do we win more games? I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think it was going to help.”
The Broncos hope the change can push the Nix-led offense from the middle of the pack toward the top of the NFL.