Broncos head coach Sean Payton has backed himself into a corner and now he needs to make a move he really doesn’t want to make
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton needs to admit that he made a big mistake.
I’m not saying Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton screwed up.
But I do think he put himself in a tough situation.
Payton gave up play-calling duties going into the 2026 season because he felt like he wasn’t getting the play calls in quick enough, and he wanted to focus more on the entire team on game days. The Broncos also wanted to keep Davis Webb from leaving for another team, and giving him play-calling duties was part of that plan.
So far, the experiment isn’t going well.
The Denver offense is struggling – it has no identity, and the run game is non-existent.
Davis Webb needs time, but can the Denver Broncos afford to give it to him?
To be fair to Webb, some of this was always going to happen. He’s only 31 years old, and this is his first time calling plays. There was always going to be an adjustment period.
I think Webb has a bright future as a play caller in the NFL. But he has to develop those skills. You don’t become an elite play caller overnight.
The question is whether the Broncos can wait for Webb to get there. Can they ride out the struggles this season?
I don’t think they can. Denver is in a Super Bowl window right now, and the best thing for this team is for Payton to call plays.
The problem is that could cause things to get messy with Webb. If Payton takes those duties back, I don’t know how you ever go back to Webb as the play caller (which is why Payton has backed himself into a corner).
Sean Payton needs to rip the band-aid off and take back play-calling duties
The top goal each week is to win. It’s not to develop play callers, and it’s not to further Webb’s career. The goal is to go 1-0 each Sunday.
Payton is a much more experienced play caller than Webb. He’s one of the best head coaches in the history of the game. If having him call plays puts Denver in the best position to win right now, shouldn’t he be the one calling them?
I understand Payton believes giving up play calling is what’s best for the franchise in the long term. And maybe he’s right about that. But it’s not what’s best right now.
Nobody knows when Webb will find his footing this season, or if it even happens this season.
If the play calling keeps holding the Broncos back, they might not win enough regular-season games to host a playoff game, which would mean going on the road in January. Or even worse, they could miss the playoffs entirely. There are no guarantees in this league, especially for an offense without an identity.
Payton is in a tough spot. He said he isn’t ready to make a change just yet, but he acknowledged it’s a fair question to ask.
“It’s too early to (consider a change in playcalling),” said Payton after Denver’s 24-14 loss to the 49ers. “It’s a fair question. I appreciate it. Man, it’s tough to discuss any of that right now.”
That, to me, makes it feel like Payton is eventually going to take those duties back. And if that’s where this is headed, why wait?
Denver might as well do it now.
