After the 2025 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos made somewhat of a shocking signing by bringing in former Jacksonville State offensive lineman Clay Webb. Webb was involved in a legal situation for an off-field incident that occurred while he was in high school, and it's been theorized that he fell out of the NFL Draft completely -- despite a draftable grade by some -- due to the incident.
We will spare the details of the incident, which you can read about on your own. The biggest update now is that Webb was actually cleared as of April 2, which perhaps gave the Broncos the clearance they needed to bring in a guy with something in his past. The team usually stays away from guys like this, but they got to know Webb better and decided he was worth bringing in.
And it's possible that this guy is the team's best undrafted free agent in terms of overall talent and draft grade. Webb was given a 5th-6th round grade from NFL.com and was a top-20 recruit coming out of high school.
He started his college career at Georgia before transferring to Jacksonville State. He plays all over the interior offensive line and the Broncos value that versatility. Perhaps he could be this team's future starter at center with Luke Wattenberg entering a contract year.
Head coach Sean Payton was asked about Webb at the team's rookie minicamp and Payton cleared the air with another rather shocking response.
Sean Payton clears the air on Clay Webb addition among Broncos UDFAs
“He’s been cleared. This kid’s a great kid. We spent a ton of time with him. He’s the best. Obviously made a mistake, and he was fantastic just in discussing it with us and going through it with us. We feel really good about where he’s at.”
- Sean Payton (via Broncos PR)
Payton's endorsement here is the final seal of approval before Webb goes out to compete for a 53-man roster spot this offseason.
The Broncos don't have great or proven depth at the guard position and they might be looking for someone to come in and step up, showing them that they've got what it takes to be a starter in this league. Webb has those kinds of traits.
He played primarily left guard in college, so maybe there's something even deeper than just the center idea going on here. Ben Powers could be a salary cap situation to watch in the 2026 offseason. Not to get too far ahead of ourselves here, but you never know.
The Broncos will finish out their rookie minicamp on Sunday afternoon and Webb is expected to continue to compete all offseason for one of the team's backup interior lineman spots.