Bo Nix Weighs In on Broncos' Davis Webb Booth-vs.-Sideline Decision

One big decision new Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb has been mulling over is whether he'll call plays from the sideline or from the booth.

This will be the first time in Webb's coaching career that he'll be a primary play-caller, but it's only been four years or so since he was playing quarterback in the NFL. He went from starting the season finale at quarterback for the New York Giants to joining Sean Payton in Denver as the Broncos' quarterbacks coach in a matter of weeks in January of 2023.

Webb's rise as an NFL coach has been meteoric, and it's thanks, in large part, to Payton's competence as a head coach and to how he has transformed the Broncos from being a cellar-dweller the preceding eight years into a bona fide Super Bowl contender.

Bo Nix has also had a lot to do with the Broncos' turnaround and Webb's rapid rise through the coaching ranks. On Saturday, Webb said after practice that, while it hasn't been officially decided, his preference will be to call plays from the sideline, and on Monday, Payton echoed that.

How does Nix feel about it, though?

“I’ve always loved it from a quarterback to a play-caller when they’re on the sideline with me," Nix said after Day 9's training camp practice. "I feel like they get the feel of the game a little bit differently."

Different Strokes

Denver Broncos quarterbacks coach Davis Webb calls plays vs. the Arizona Cardinals in preseason action. | Dustin Bradford / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

To each his own, but it's much harder to feel the energy and momentum of a game from a booth up in the sky. The more remote a coach is from the action, the harder it is to pick up the vibes of a game, and all the communication with the field has to be over the phone.

Vic Fangio has always preferred to call plays from the booth as a defensive coordinator, but when the Broncos hired him as head coach in 2019, he wanted to still call his defense, which meant he had to get comfortable doing it from the sideline because that's where the head coach has to be to manage the game and interact with the officials.

That was a work in progress for Fangio, but he eventually got used to calling plays from field level. As soon as he went back to being a coordinator, though, he returned to the booth.

Wade Phillips, another former Broncos head coach and the team's defensive coordinator in Super Bowl 50, was a sideline play-caller. Both coaches are among the most highly revered and influential defensive minds of their era, but they each have a different feel for play-calling.

Why it Really Matters to Nix

Bo Nix, Sean Payton, and Davis Webb — Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton, quarterback Bo Nix, and pass game coordinator Davis Webb discuss a play vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. | Kevin Langley / IMAGO / Icon Sportswire

"It’s obviously seeing the game from a different vantage point, but I think they get to feel the emotions on the sideline," Nix said. "They get to feel the comments from us coming off the sideline, what we’re seeing and all that kind of stuff."

Many of the best play-callers in the NFL are former quarterbacks, including Payton. Webb is the latest in a long line of quarterbacks-turned-play-callers whose entire football perspective has always been at the field level. Why try to fiddle with the touch-and-feel aspect of being on the sideline now?

"From his point of view and playing quarterback his whole career, I think that’s just where he feels comfortable," Nix said of Webb. "A lot of former quarterbacks like to call it from the sideline."

As a pro, Nix has always had a direct line to his play-caller on the sideline. After a series, he could approach Payton and have a face-to-face discussion about a given play or some trend or tell he's seeing in the defense.

The same will hold true with Webb, who's also always been on the sideline with Nix, as both his quarterbacks coach and as the Broncos' pass game coordinator last year.

"I like when the play caller is there with me, and I can come off and have the eye-to-eye conversation," Nix said. "We can sit down and look at the pictures and go through them together and really get to hear from him and not have to call up to the office or get on a headset. I think the eye-to-eye communication is really important, so I’m excited that he’s going to be down there with us.”

The Plan

The plan is likely for Webb to call the plays from the sideline. The Broncos could always use the preseason games to test the difference, with Webb on the sideline in one game and up in the booth in another, but if he, Payton, and Nix already have a strong preference, then the young offensive coordinator would be better off utilizing these exhibition games as an opportunity to really start honing his craft as a play-caller and finding his groove.

Again, Webb said he's leaning toward the sideline, but he also wanted Payton's take on it before making a final decision. Hearing from Payton on the subject two days later, it sounds like the decision has been made.

“Well, it’s not like we’re splitting the atom," Payton said. "That’s probably where he’ll be with his communication and the QBs. It’s an area where I felt comfortable, and I think you get the plays in so quickly either from up or down, but I have that same vision.”

The Takeaway

Webb has expressed his excitement for Nix's third year, pointing to the parallels he saw as Josh Allen's backup in Buffalo when the Bills acquired Stefon Diggs via trade ahead of the quarterback's third season. The idea being that Jaylen Waddle's arrival could serve as a similar Year-3 catalyst for Nix.

That could well be the case, but also having Webb as his play-caller might be a springboard in its own right for Nix. It's going to be fun to see how these two young men continue to grow together as player and coach.

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