There is a certain contingent in the NFL — media, players, coaches, fans — who will just never trust Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.
That’s why, since Payton said he would cede play-calling duties to new offensive coordinator Davis Webb in 2026, there’s been a lot of skepticism.
Not only is Payton a brilliant head coach, but he’s a brilliant play caller. He also has a reputation for saying 1 thing and doing another.
‘We’re Already Putting Davis Webb on Cuck Watch’
That’s why The Ringer’s Sheil Kapadia and Diante Lee think Payton’s declaration of giving up power to Webb on offense might not be as magnanimous an act as it seems.
“I know Sean Payton is no longer calling plays … cool … I don’t know how true that’s going to be,” Kapadia said on “The Ringer NFL Show” on Friday. “At first I looked at it and go, okay, well, all right, he’s being unselfish, giving (play calling duties) to Davis Webb. And then I’m like, wait, what do I know about Sean Payton? So I see a scenario where we’re all looking at the numbers and going over where the Broncos rank in X, Y, and X over the 1st 6 weeks. And then Payton comes in and says, ‘I had to make a move that was best for the football team. We still have a lot of faith in Davis, but yeah, I’m going to take over play calling.’ Or maybe he doesn’t even say it at a press conference, you know? Like maybe he slips it to 1 of his media friends and Jay Glazer’s on Fox Sunday morning saying Sean Payton’s going to be calling plays today for the Broncos.”
“And it will be against the worst defense in the league, when he knows they’re going to put up 30,” Lee said. “So yeah, it’s March, and we’re already putting Davis Webb on Cuck Watch.”
“I say, definitely by Halloween, maybe a little bit earlier than that,” Kapadia said. “And then, if they play well, Sean Payton comes in, and we all say yeah, Sean Payton, he’s an arrogant SOB, but man, he can coach some offensive football. There he goes, he’s doing it again.”
Broncos Offense Ready to Level Up in 2026
It’s tough to quibble with going 14-3 and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs, but Denver’s offense was actually the reason the Broncos didn’t go 16-1 and get to play in the Super Bowl.
Early-season losses to the Chargers and Colts fell directly on the offense’s shoulders, and it was Payton’s inability to guide the offense correctly in a 10-7 home loss to the Patriots that cost his team a chance at winning the Super Bowl.
Since the loss to the Patriots, the offense has undergone a top-to-bottom overhaul that’s still very much in process. First, Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi and replaced him with Webb shortly after the season. Next, the Broncos pulled off the offseason’s biggest trade to this point, when they sent a 1st round pick and 3rd round pick to the Dolphins for superstar wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.
In 5 NFL seasons, Waddle has over 1,000 receiving yards 3 times, including 75 receptions for a career high 1,356 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns in 2022.
In 2025, Waddle had 64 receptions for 910 yards and 6 touchdowns in 16 games playing with 1 of the NFL’s worst quarterbacks and on 1 of its worst teams.