Broncos Brass Dish on Rookie Coach Tasked With Restoring Russell Wilson

The Denver Broncos made a very confident decision to hire Sean Payton as head coach. Payton brings 15 years of head-coaching experience to the Mile High City as one of the few in the NFL to have hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.

Payton's wealth of experience is comforting to Broncos fans, and while he was hired to resurrect the Broncos, the coach can't do it without also bringing quarterback Russell Wilson back from the brink. Sure, there are other quarterbacks out there, but the Broncos, by virtue of the near quarter-billion-dollar extension they paid the veteran last summer, are locked into Wilson for the next two seasons.

After stepping down from his storied post with the New Orleans Saints and taking a year away from the NFL, Payton wasn't about to take a new head-coaching gig with a club whose quarterback situation was an albatross around its neck, destined to weigh it down into the doldrums. Thus, we can rationally deduce that Payton never viewed Wilson as a liability or an obstacle to overcome as head coach in Denver.

However, in order to create success in Denver, Payton will have to get Wilson back in the saddle and playing at a comparable level to his 10-year reign of dominance in Seattle. Considering Payton's veteran expertise, it was curious that instead of hiring a QBs coach with a bonafide NFL resume of his own, the Broncos hired a dude who has literally never coached before.

Enter Davis Webb, the Broncos' brand-new QBs coach and a guy who started at quarterback for the New York Giants as recently as Week 18 of the 2022 season. Now, there may be two buffering levels above Webb that serve as a sure-fire fail-safe of sorts — Payton and offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi — but hiring a 28-year-old first-time position coach to be the direct point of contact with Wilson definitely raised some eyebrows around the league.

Payton talked a little bit about his decision to hire Webb, referencing the former NFL backup QB's football IQ and library of game plans he's cultivated without fail dating back to his high school playing days. That level of meticulous attention to detail and near-maniacal thirst for knowledge is impressive, but Webb is still untested as an NFL coach.

Payton took a modest risk by hiring Webb to coach a quarterback who is six years his senior and upon whom the destiny of the 2023 Broncos hinges. Lombardi, a long-time lieutenant of Payton's, see's good things on the horizon with Webb and, by extension, Wilson.

"[He is a] really hard worker, and he takes it seriously," Lombardi said back in June. "He's young, and he's just starting out as a coach. With his background, the coaches he's been with and the experience of being a quarterback where you're really responsible for knowing what everyone's doing, I think he has a really good base. He's good at building relationships with the guys that he coaches, so I certainly see a bright future for him in the coaching profession."

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Broncos GM George Paton concurs with Lombardi.

"He's really been a coach on the field since he's been in the league," Paton said via Aric DiLalla of the team website. "… Really excited about the hire."

Many of the best coaches to ever do it in the NFL are former players, including Payton. Webb has the practical experience of playing the position in the modern NFL, and he does come from a coaching pedigree. Matt Webb coached his son in high school, and that, no doubt, partly explains Davis' advanced understanding of the game.

After working the phones and talking with many of Webb's former coaches and teammates, Payton came away impressed and feeling like this should be his guy — his direct conduit to Wilson.

"He came highly recommended from a bunch of different coaches," Payton said of Webb back in March. "[Giants head coach] Brian Daboll, Eli Manning, I spoke to a number of people. I kept hearing the same things about him, so we brought him in. … I remember him as a player, but I didn't know him at all. He did a really good job. … He's a coach's kid, Davis is. He had a file on his computer of every game plan that he's ever had since he was in high school, then college, then Texas Tech. Then, [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."

If Payton is willing to trust Webb, in part, with stewardship over Wilson, that alone is an impressive testimonial of the young coach's competency. Time will tell how it comes out in the wash for the Broncos.

“Coach Webb, going from playing, obviously, his knowledge of the game, what he’s been able to do," Wilson said back in May. "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."

Webb could have continued his playing career. But when presented with the opportunity to jump feet-first into coaching under a venerated figure like Payton, the still-in-his-prime Webb didn't hesitate. The allure of working with Wilson was a factor, too.

"I could've kept playing, but I felt like this was the only opportunity I was interested in when it comes to coaching," Webb said. "Being able to come here, help Russell as much as I can and learn from Coach Payton, Joe Lombardi, [Pass Game Coordinator] John Morton, all these great guys, I'm very grateful that this worked out. If it didn't, I would've kept on playing."

The Webb hire will ultimately be judged by how well Wilson takes to his coaching and Payton's scheme. It may be a modest risk, throwing in with such a young first-time QBs coach, but remember; the buck stops with Payton — who will also be intimately involved with Wilson daily.

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