Sean Payton Makes Major Change to Broncos' Offensive Play-Calling

The Davis Webb experiment has officially concluded.

Coming off a concerning loss to the 49ers and with third-year quarterback Bo Nix undergoing early-season struggles, the Denver Broncos have made a decisive change to their offensive play-calling process.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Broncos are taking a more "collaborative" approach ahead of Sunday's game against the Chargers, with head coach Sean Payton assuming increased playsheet responsibility and effectively demoting embattled rookie offensive coordinator Davis Webb, who will maintain a "significant" role on staff.

The news was confirmed Thursday by 9NEWS insider Mike Klis.

"Sources confirm Broncos will feature more collaborative approach to game planning and play calling this week between HC Sean Payton and OC Davis Webb," Klis wrote on X. "Payton more involved in play calling although key will be whether he or Webb is communicating plays to Bo. Chiefs do something similar between Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy. Payton has already been heavily involved in putting together game planning in recent weeks."

Speculation has mounted in recent days that Payton could take back playcalling from Webb following Denver's second loss this season, in which they averaged just 4.6 yards per play, were held to only 82 total rushing yards, and finished 8-for-17 on third down.

Through four weeks, the Broncos' offense ranks 27th in both yards and points per game, 26th in rushing yards per game, 21st in passing yards per game, and 20th in EPA (Expected Points Added) per game.

"It's a fair question; I appreciate it," Payton said Sunday regarding a potential move away from Webb. "It's tough to discuss any of that right now. But I told those guys, ‘Hey, we’ve played some tough teams, and this is another good football team.’

"There were a lot of things we did well defensively for a good portion of the game. I felt like the time of possession began to affect us. We had the big turnover in the kicking game, and that flips the field and all of a sudden you're back out there on defense. To your original question, we always look at everything in each game and that's how we'll approach this one.”

How This Impacts Week 5

The Broncos are facing a trap game of sorts, hitting the road to take on their winless division rivals in Los Angeles. At 2-2, they can either get back above .500 while proverbially driving a stake in the 2026 Chargers' hearts — or they can allow the home team to save their season with an upset.

The Chargers' defense is rife for exploitation, ranking 22nd against the run and 14th against the pass. Two of their starting defensive backs, safety Derwin James and cornerback Donte Jackson, are also banged-up.

With Payton at the controls, this could turn out to be a get-right matchup for the Broncos. But certainly not one they're taking for granted.

“I buy into the notion in the NFL each week, you’re going to see teams that week-in and week-out, when you watch them play a number of their games... For me, it’s the scheme study, the personnel study and not as much the end result," Payton said Wednesday.

"They had five takeaways in Buffalo, they’ve been ahead in a number of games, they’ve started actually really well. So the focus really becomes on the personnel of the opponent and how they’re playing their defense and offense and kicking game.”

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