The Denver Broncos failed to generate enough offense to overcome the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship and will now turn to its offensive coordinator to call plays.
It appears that the Denver Broncos’ devastating loss to the New England Patriots in the American Football League Championship has resulted in yet another team change.
According to lead writer Aric DeLalla, Broncos Head Coach Sean Payton is relinquishing offensive play-calling duties with offensive coordinator Davis Webb taking over the responsibilities.
Payton called Webb “extremely talented” and said he will still be involved with what the team does offensively, but changing the play-caller is what’s best for the team.
Well, he isn’t lying; this is best for the team. Despite leading a top 10 offense in yards per game with average scoring (23.6 points per game, 14th), Payton had his flaws throughout the season, and it was especially apparent early on.
A huge problem for the Broncos offense was that Payton oftentimes couldn’t relay the play fast enough to starting quarterback Bo Nix, leading to delay-of-game penalties or plays getting blown up. The offense was inconsistent all season long and the team was playing from behind a ton, having to come back late in the fourth quarter.
Denver went 14-3 and made it to the conference championship, but it was mainly on the shoulders of the defense, not the offense. Offensively, the team lacked playmakers besides wide receiver Courtland Sutton, and the passing game was heavily reliant on short passes. Opposing defenses would realize this and were well prepared to stop them.
Once running back J.K. Dobbins went down with a season-ending foot injury in Week 10, the run game took a major hit and wasn’t nearly as successful. Payton wanted the offense to establish an identity, but this wasn’t the identity he was seeking.
The offense was stagnant and slow for much of the season and the organization is hoping that the change to Webb as play-caller will fix that.
Webb was previously Denver’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator before being elevated to OC last month and has been praised for his work in developing Nix as a young premier QB in just two years. At 31-years-old, Webb fits the “young offensive mind” mold that many teams are looking to acquire.
Chicago Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson and Jacksonville Jaguars Head Coach Liam Coen are prime examples of teams going after bright young minds to transform their offense and both teams had immense success in their first seasons.
Webb has one game of play-calling experience, and it came in Week 2 of preseason in Denver’s 27-7 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Webb and the Broncos dominated Arizona’s defense, running 72 plays and accumulating 562 total yards.
The passing game generated 395 yards while completing 76.9 percent of passes while the run game produced 167 yards on 32 attempts. It’s the smallest of sample sizes in a meaningless game, but he showed he could do it and do it well.
Expect Webb to lead an up-tempo offense with plenty of explosive plays in 2026.