The Denver Broncos fell short of a Super Bowl trip with a 10-7 loss to the New England Patriots in the AFC Champinship Game in Denver, Colo.
After the loss, Broncos head coach Sean Payton fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi. He then named Davis Webb as the new OC.
Now, Payton is making another change. He is allowing Webb to call plays, making it the first time Payton won’t be calling the plays in Denver.
Broncos HC Sean Payton said that new OC Davis Webb is “extremely talented” and said Webb will call plays for Denver’s offense.
— Aric DiLalla (@AricDiLalla) February 24, 2026
Payton said he’ll still be involved with what they do offensively, but he said he’s making the decision for what’s best for the team.
The Broncos not only fired Lombardi, but they also moved on from wide receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch.
Payton was the New Orleans Saints head coach from 2006 through 2021, and he was the primary play-caller his entire time in New Orleans. Payton was also the play-caller in Denver, so this is a huge change for the offense.
Webb interviewed for the Las Vegas Raiders and Buffalo Bills jobs and had interest elsewhere as an OC before the Broncos fired Lombardi and promoted Webb.
Webb called plays for a game in the 2025 preseason and drew rave reviews from Broncos players, so handing him control of the plays this time makes sense for Payton.
Webb’s final season as an NFL player was in 2022, and he joined the Denver coaching staff in 2023.
The Broncos’ offense finished 14th in points per game and 14th in total yards this past season, so perhaps a change can help this group going forward.
