The Early Reviews Are In on New Broncos OC Davis Webb

The early returns on new Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Davis Webb have been positive. Then again, until this week, the Broncos had only met and worked out inside the facility, aside from rookie minicamp in mid-May.

All of the player comments about Webb taking the reins as the primary play-caller thus far have been positive. We even learned about some of the initial changes he has made to the offense, namely shortening play calls so players can get to the line of scrimmage faster.

Tempo will be a focus for Webb's offense; not just in getting the calls relayed in, but also the offense in general. That's an exciting notion, as anytime Sean Payton used tempo with quarterback Bo Nix, it has redounded to the Broncos' benefit, putting defenses on their heels.

Webb has succeeded Joe Lombardi as offensive coordinator, who was fired in January following the Broncos' ouster from the playoffs. Lombardi never called plays for Payton in Denver, though he certainly contributed ideas to the offensive game plan each week, but Webb will be doing so out of the gate.

Lombardi landed on his feet as a Baltimore Ravens senior offensive assistant. Following Thursday's practice, Payton held court at Broncos Park Powered by CommonSpirit, and he provided a progress report of sorts on Webb.

“I think it’s going well. I think the biggest change really is going to be more in season than this time of the year," Payton said. "Joe would head up those meetings. I think once you get into the season, and we’re all meeting collectively, and then he’s calling the game... But I think it’s going well.”

In other words, so far, so good, but Webb's true test will come when the actual season rolls around. The Broncos' initial schedule is going to put Webb through the refiner's fire.

Mad Scientist

However, despite him being a first-time play-caller in the NFL, there's a lot of confidence emanating from the Broncos locker room in his wherewithal.

“The guy is a mad scientist when it comes to the offensive game and he spent that past three years now being able to learn the game under Coach Payton, who we all know is an offensive genius," wide receiver Courtland Sutton said on Thursday of Webb. "He has one of the best offensive minds and to be able to have that amount of time to learn the game from someone as talented and special as Coach Payton, it’s ultimately allowed him to be able to master this offense that he has been able to put together."

Webb's career as a quarterback, which lasted all the way up until January of 2023, when he retired from the NFL to join Payton's staff in Denver, combined with his experience over the past three years, has him poised to hit the ground running as a first-time play-caller, in Sutton's estimation.

"It’s a combination of things that he has learned from Coach Payton and things that he has liked and seen from his own experience of playing and coaching in this league. I know he is ready," Sutton said of Webb. "There is not a thought behind it—I know that he is ready and being able to listen to the way he coaches and the way he is teaching the terminology to us on the field and in the classroom has been amazing."

Sutton has worked with Webb for the past three years, even though Webb was the quartebacks coach. In 2025, Webb took on the promotion to pass game coordinator on top of his quarterback duties, which only gave Sutton more exposure to his style of coaching.

Waddle's Take on Webb

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

Sutton's words are confident and certainly encouraging, but he's a tenured veteran and team leader. What about a newcomer like Jaylen Waddle, who is only a few weeks into his first exposure to Webb's coaching?

"'D-Webb' has been great," Waddle said on Thursday. "He's still got that player-type attitude. You can see it in meetings. He's really competitive. He gets after us. He challenges us on and off the field. So he's been great."

The building is clearly excited about Webb's promotion and even energized by it. The only thing missing from the equation right now is Nix, who observed practice on Thursday in Broncos gear and a cap.

The Broncos say Nix will be back for sure by training camp, but there's good reason to believe he'll be out there for mandatory minicamp June 16-18. From there, he can get busy creating chemistry with Waddle and building on the established bond he already has with Webb.

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