Russell Wilson Breaks Silence on Young QBs Coach Broncos Hired
The Denver Broncos surprised a few people by hiring Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach in February. Head coach Sean Payton hand-picked Webb, a coach who started an NFL game at quarterback last year.
That wasn't the only big decision relative to the quarterback position, and how it's coached, that Payton made this offseason. Upon arriving as head coach in late January, Payton made short work of canceling the unfettered access to Centura Health Training Center that Russell Wilson's private coach, Jake Heaps, had last season.
The multi-decade NFL coaching veteran Payton is understood that too many cooks can ruin the broth. He wanted just one voice in Wilson's ear when the veteran quarterback is in the building on official Broncos business, and Webb was hand-selected to be that guy.
It makes you wonder how Wilson, 34, felt about these changes and what the nine-time Pro Bowler made of the Broncos hiring a young, 28-year-old guy to be his position coach moving forward. We got some answers on that front when Wilson took to the podium on Saturday after a spirited OTA practice at Broncos HQ.
“Coach Webb, going from playing, obviously, his knowledge of the game, what he’s been able to do," Wilson said. "To play the game, it’s so hard to play quarterback in the National Football League in general. And for him, he’s been in different offenses. He’s understood how to play the quarterback position. He’s an incredible teacher, too. A great communicator."
Indeed, while Webb's live-bullet experience, overall, pales in comparison to Wilson's body of work in the NFL, he took reps last year for the New York Giants. Webb started for the Giants in Week 18 — the first and only start of his playing career — and although he lost to the eventual NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles 22-16, he passed for 168 yards and a touchdown and acquitted himself well in relief of Daniel Jones.
It might feel a little bit strange being coached by a guy who was literally a playing peer a few months ago, but Wilson seems to be embracing his new student/teacher relationship with gusto.
"I’m really looking forward to being with Coach Webb and what he’s able to communicate and do for us," Wilson said. "He’s great out here. He’s been on the field. He’s strapped on the pads and scored touchdowns in the National Football League, so he’s got a great presence.”
*scored touchdown*
For those Broncos fans with misgivings about Webb and his relative coaching inexperience, the thing to remember is that a.) he's taking his marching orders directly from Payton, the architect, and b.) Payton could have hired just about anyone, and he chose Webb — for a reason.
Payton's decision to hire Webb wasn't done on impulse. After a deep dive into Webb's background, Payton received some heavy recommendations from coaches and former players he trusts around the league.
"[Davis] came highly recommended from a bunch of different coaches," Payton said back in February. "[Giants HC] Brian Daboll, [former Giants QB] Eli Manning, I spoke to a number of people. I kept hearing the same things about him, so we brought him in... He’s a coach’s kid, Davis is. He had a file on his computer of every gameplan that he’s ever had since he was in high school, then college, then Texas Tech. Then, [Chiefs QB Patrick] Mahomes comes in and then he transfers. It was really impressive just going through the process. Then, the fit for us, too—especially in that room—I think will be good.”
Ultimately, Davis will be judged by how well Wilson, and, by extension, any of the guys who are called upon in Denver's QB room, perform this year. But in Payton's estimation, the early returns on Wilson are good.
"He's picking it up good—he looks good and looks sharp," Payton said on Thursday.
Time will tell. But for Broncos Country, the #InPaytonWeTrust mantra is the prime outlook for 2023 and beyond.
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