Davis Webb gets another chance Sunday to show that the Denver Broncos’ disastrous opener was just that: one disastrous opener.
He might not get many soft landings after it.
Denver hosts the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 with questions already following Webb after his first regular-season game as the Broncos’ play caller. An AFC executive told The Athletic that if Denver starts slowly, Sean Payton surrendering those duties could become increasingly difficult to maintain.
“If they come out of the gates slowly, it’s gonna be hard for Sean to stick with this,” the executive said. “That would get very messy.”
Look at the Broncos’ schedule. The warning makes more sense.
Broncos Schedule Leaves Davis Webb Little Room for a Slow Start
After Jacksonville comes a five-game stretch that looks considerably less forgiving.
Denver hosts the Los Angeles Rams on “Sunday Night Football” in Week 3, travels to face the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Chargers in Weeks 4 and 5, then gets a short turnaround before hosting the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Five of the Broncos’ first six opponents reached the playoffs last season. Jacksonville, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle combined for 50 regular-season victories in 2025.
So Sunday’s game isn’t simply Denver trying to avoid an 0-2 start.
It’s Webb’s most manageable opportunity in the immediate future to settle an offense that managed 10 points in a 31-10 Week 1 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Bo Nix averaged 4.7 yards per attempt in that game, and Denver converted only two of its 12 third downs, according to the insider column supplied for this story.
The difficulty spikes quickly from here.
The Rams reached last season’s NFC Championship Game. San Francisco went 12-5 despite significant injuries. The Chargers won 11 games. Seattle went 14-3 before winning Super Bowl LX.
Not much of a developmental runway.
Sean Payton Is Backing Webb After Broncos’ Week 1 Loss
For now, Payton isn’t publicly treating Webb like a coordinator on borrowed time.
After the loss in Kansas City, Payton discussed the experience Webb will gain as a first-time caller and the need to understand how the flow of a game should affect offensive decisions. Nix also pushed responsibility toward the players, saying Denver needed to put Webb in better situations.
Webb, 31, is hardly operating an offense Payton has abandoned, either.
Before the opener, Webb described Payton as an active resource and called it “a Sean Payton offense,” noting the head coach continued supplying ideas throughout preparation.
That arrangement is much easier to maintain when the offense works.
Another performance like Kansas City would make the division of labor harder to ignore, particularly because Payton built his reputation in large part as an offensive designer and play caller.
The anonymous AFC executive underscored exactly that point.
“I think Sean’s play calling last year was unbelievable,” the executive told The Athletic. “He is such an elite play caller. Davis is a good dude, but he’s 31 and never called plays before.”
Jaguars Game Could Quiet the Broncos’ Play-Calling Questions
Jacksonville isn’t exactly a scheduled breather.
The Jaguars were a playoff team last season and handed Denver its only regular-season home loss at Empower Field at Mile High in 2025.
But consider the alternative.
Lose Sunday with another stagnant offensive performance, then prepare for the Rams in prime time. After that, two straight road games. Then Seattle on four days’ rest.
Payton has given Webb an opportunity few 31-year-old coaches receive: control of an offense that entered the season expecting to contend in the AFC.
The Broncos schedule is about to test how much patience comes with it.
Broncos Brutal Schedule Could Make Sean Payton-Davis Webb Situation ‘Very Messy’