The Denver Broncos have a new offensive coordinator, and the changes that will happen as a result are important.
The Denver Broncos have some important changes on offense, but the overarching one is the promotion of Davis Webb to offensive coordinator. Ben Solak of ESPN mentioned it as one of the most important storylines coming into training camp, and he made some revealing points about it.
Start with the fact that this isn’t the way this kind of promotion usually happens. As Solak points out, Webb was promoted from QB coach to offensive coordinator and given control of the headset, but meanwhile last year’s coordinator, coach Sean Payton, remains in the picture, and Payton is one of the best ever when it comes to playcalling.
The writer noted that it’s a peculiar spot for Webb to be in, which is probably an understatement. Payton’s flaws and foibles were exposed in a recent extended ESPN piece from Seth Wickersham, and one of the big ones is that Payton sometimes delegates, then quickly changes his mind about whaver it is he’s done.
The Broncos did this to get plays in and out quickly, which will be fairly easy to assess in training camp. As Solak noted, “The whole point of August practice is to iron out the wrinkles of formations, motions, verbiage and adjustments.”
The important variable here will be the availability of quarterback Bo Nix, who may not be a full go in training camp. His mobility is a big part of the Broncos offense, and there’s no way Webb will be able to plug in current backup Jarrett Stidham and do anywhere close to the same kinds of things.
There’s another layer here to factor in. Payton talked up third quarterback Sam Ehlinger in the offseason, and some experts think there could be a genuine competition for the backup job. Stidham is making $8 million, which is high for a backup, and some trade rumors popped up around Stidham early in the offseason.
Could Ehlinger actually wind up running the offense for a good chunk of training camp? It’s certainly possible given what we know right now, which is actually not a lot. If something like this does happen, it could muck up the offense early, which is important given the Broncos’ brutal schedule.
Solak’s final point was about Payton, and it’s a good one. If the Broncos offense does struggle early, no one would be the least bit surprised if Payton took the headset back and started calling plays again. There are a lot of possibilities in play, and it’s definitely a worthwhile story to track during training camp.
