Sean Payton is already leaving his mark on the Denver Broncos just nine games into his tenure as their head coach, but a certain offensive coach might be the driving factor behind Russell Wilson's success. He's largely been viewed as a sensationally smart football mind who made a much bigger mark in the film room than on the field.
And he played QB in the NFL, throwing for all of 168 yards and one touchdown in two career games. QB coach Davis Webb played in the NFL from 2017-2022 between the New York Giants, New York Jets, and Buffalo Bills. You can easily find articles and stories on just how smart Davis Webb is and how valuable he is in any QB room.
Check out some of these stories that highlight the intelligence of Davis Webb
Davis Webb is the Next Great Offensive Coordinator
Ex-Cal QB Davis Webb Passed Up Coaching Offer to Keep Playing in NFL
Inside Davis Webb's rapid rise from backup QB to 28-year-old Broncos coach
And there's also this very important point to note here. Check out this tweet:
Josh Allen became NFL elite from '19-'21
— 🅲🆄🆁🆃 (@Introvert_Curt) November 14, 2023
Daniel Jones' best season was in '22
Russell Wilson is enjoying a resurgence in '23
What do they all have in common during these respective years?
Davis Webb's film breakdowns and coverage reports. Read about them. They are legendary
Not only is Davis Webb someone who has an insane level of intelligence, but you can plainly see his impact on other QBs that he's shared a room with. Webb was in the QB room with Josh Allen for a few years in Buffalo, and those few years just so happened to be the time period where Allen ascended into the QB that he is now.
And in 2022 with the New York Giants, he was in the QB room with Daniel Jones, who enjoyed the most efficient season of his career by far. And now in 2023, Webb is serving as the QB coach for Russell Wilson, who has clearly turned a corner after a disastrous 2022 season. It's no coincidence that Wilson is playing as well as he is.
He's greatly cut down on the turnovers and has the second-most TD passes in the NFL and fourth-highest passer rating. Sure, Wilson losing 15 pounds certainly helped, and Payton being an offensive genius also helped a ton, but Davis Webb already has a track record with QB development, and he did that as an active NFL player.
And what's nice here is that I think Webb can stick around for the long haul in Denver. At some point, Webb is likely going to get looks to be an offensive coordinator. Well, the Broncos' current OC, Joe Lombardi, does not call plays and doesn't have a very good track record when he does do it. If Payton thinks that Webb would leave to take an OC job, I bet he'd not hesitate to fire Lombardi and promote Webb.
That sounds pretty cutthroat, but I think Webb's intelligence cannot be overstated.