The Davis Webb experiment is over.
Webb, who was promoted to offensive coordinator in the offseason and given the keys to the play-calling car, will have those keys rescinded this weekend, when the Broncos face the Chargers.
Former NFL receiver Brandon Stokley, who is now part of the morning show on 104.3 The Fan in Denver, was the first to let the cat out of the bag. “I’m hearing that Sean Payton is going to be taking over play calling this week,” Stokley tweeted on Wednesday night.
We’ve since confirmed that, indeed, Payton will be calling the plays again.
It’s been several weeks in the making, dating back to the disastrous Week 1 offensive performance against the Chiefs. In the 31-10 loss, Denver as a team had fewer yards from scrimmage (176) than Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III had in his debut with the team (191).
A second-half surge against the Jaguars in Week 2 settled the situation down, temporarily. By the second half of the Week 3 game against the Rams, which Denver trailed 16-0, many were watching for indications that Payton had reclaimed the play-calling role for the second half. Again, the Broncos turned it around without Payton making the change.
In Week 4, a 3-3 halftime tie turned into a double-digit win by the 49ers. And that apparently sparked the decision to shake things up.
The timing makes sense. The Broncos face the potentially overmatched Chargers this weekend, before the Week 6 Thursday night showdown against the Seahawks. Making the move now gives Payton an opportunity to get his play-calling sea legs back before a very significant prime-time game that carries the subplot of that bizarre story from two weeks ago, when Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald’s not-really-on-the-record remarks to Graham Bensinger peeled back the curtain on a dustup that emerged after the Seahawks and Broncos played in Week 1 of the 2024 season.
If the Broncos hope to once again compete for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, the margin for error has already narrowed. Last year, the Broncos finished 14-3. Through four games, they’re already one defeat away from matching last year’s total number of losses.
That said, the 2025 Broncos started 1-2. They responded by winning 11 in a row. Based on what we’ve seen through four games in 2026, however, another winning streak is unlikely — absent the change that Payton has made.
Ultimately, it’s Payton’s team. He needs to do whatever he thinks he should do to help the Broncos meet the high bar for 2026 that was created by their success in 2025. And the clock is ticking. Loudly.