Sean Payton Rates Davis Webb's First Game Calling Broncos' Plays

Three years ago, Davis Webb was an NFL quarterback. He's now coming off the opportunity to call plays under legendary coach Sean Payton.

Jul 24, 2025; Englewood, CO, USA; Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb during Denver Broncos Training Camp. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham may have garnered the plaudits for his performance in the Denver Broncos' 27-7 preseason win over the Arizona Cardinals, but quarterbacks coach and pass game coordinator Davis Webb got the game ball. 

Broncos head coach Sean Payton entrusted Webb to call his first plays ever as an NFL coach on Saturday night in front of the Mile High Faithful. The results were excellent, and Payton acknowledged his young protégé post-game.

"I had thrown a couple of call sheets or stat sheets from my first time [calling plays] and highlighted a few things and said, 'see if you can beat this,'" Payton said after preseason Game 2. "And he did." 

Payton and his offensive coaches were all on the same headset line as Webb called the plays vs. the Cardinals. Webb was in communication with Payton the whole time, but the play calls were his.

“We’re talking. We’re all on the same line, but he called it and did a really good job. That experience is invaluable," Payton said of Webb. "Until you do it, it’s much faster than you think compared to the college game... You want to make a good impression, but he did a good job. He did a really good job."

When it comes to individual players, Stidham benefited greatly from Webb's play-calling, going 16-of-23 for 240 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Bo Nix's backup continues to play with his hair on fire this preseason. 

At only 30 years old, Webb is still very much in tune with the vibe and dynamics of a professional locker room, and that's valuable. As recently as January of 2023, Webb played quarterback in the NFL. Stidham and his fellow quarterback can relate to their position coach because he played the game at the highest level, even if he wasn't an uber-successful NFL quarterback.

“I know tonight was a big deal for him. If you are a coach and you want to be a play caller in this league and you get your first opportunity, it is a big deal," Stidham said of Webb after Saturday night's win. "Honestly, I was super proud of him and super happy for him. He is an incredible coach, and he is going to be an incredible coach for a very long time in this league. I have been fortunate to be around some of the greats, and Davis is amazing, and I can’t speak highly enough about him.”

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That same respect for Webb convinced Broncos' tight end Evan Engram that he should suit up on Saturday night, despite his fellow starters being rested by Payton. Competing on behalf of his friend and former New York Giants teammate meant a lot to Engram.

"Once I found that out, I said I could play in the game," Engram said via James Palmer. "Our brotherhood is really special to me. He's just a natural savant with football. He freaking called his butt off tonight." 

Webb's star has begun to burn bright within the insular NFL coaching community. He garnered a lot of interest in the hiring cycle this past January, which is partly why Payton promoted Webb to pass game coordinator, in tandem with his quarterbacks coaching duties.

Payton has leaned heavily on his young coach to help guide Nix through his NFL learning curve. Famously, Payton didn't let Webb depart after he interviewed him in January of 2023.

Dec 28, 2024; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix (10) during the second half in the game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Webb's first year as an NFL coach was under Payton in 2023, coaching Russell Wilson. After Wilson crashed and burned, Nix was drafted, and he and Webb have established some strong chemistry.

When Nix was struggling during a Week 5 game against the Las Vegas Raiders, the frustrated rookie got involved in a verbal volley with Payton on the sideline. Thankfully, Webb had words with his boss in the heat of the moment, managing successfully to defuse things.

Nix's backbone told Payton much about the character of his burgeoning franchise quarterback. And it also helped spark a big turnaround, with the Broncos winning 10 games and making the playoffs.

It's great to see Payton delegate play-calling duties during the preseason. Offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi called the plays in Game 1 vs. the San Francisco 49ers, and Webb in Game 2. But make no mistake: the play-calling will again be Payton's purview when the regular season rolls around. 

Even so, the process allows Payton to be a mentor to Webb, much in the same way that Hall-of-Fame head coach Bill Parcells was to him when he started coaching back in the 1990s.

Lombardi and Broncos senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael have long been inside Payton's circle of trust, but it apparently just gained another member in the talented Webb. 

"I said this to (CEO Greg Penner) earlier, if you had Pete call a game, Davis, Joe, myself, whoever, you're going to get so many different combinations on that call sheet," Payton said on Saturday. "You'll get the emphasis in the run. We wanted to run the ball well tonight, but I thought [Webb] was—the biggest thing is getting on to the next play as soon as you've called that play. And I thought he was fast, efficient, had a lot of energy. The players responded. I thought he did a great job. It's no different than a player that has had a real good game, like, 'I can do this at a high level.'"