When the Denver Broncos' season ended in the AFC Championship Game at the hands of the New England Patriots, conversations immediately turned into how the Broncos can get back and advance next year. Several areas of concern were identified immediately, including retaining their own coaches. The Broncos needed to promote him to keep him, but Davis Webb will be back in Denver next year.
With his return, he will also be handed the play-calling duties on offense, which is a major change from last year. Sean Payton is far from a spring chicken anymore, and his play-calling abilities were put under the microscope on a few occasions last year. In the opinions of many, he simply did what was best for the team.
With Webb calling plays next year, you can expect the Broncos offense to look rather different. They likely won’t drastically change in one spring, but the play calling has the potential to be night and day. Webb takes the influence from several different systems he played in; he might begin leading the Broncos offense in a different direction next year.
Three ways in which the Denver Broncos ' play-calling could look very different in 2026
3) More work for the top running back
One of the more confusing aspects of the Broncos' offense last year was their reliance on several different running backs, even as they moved further down the depth chart. Payton's offenses of years past have found great success with multiple backs, but it felt as though he was trying to force that identity on a roster that did not have the players to fit it. Webb might be more willing to have a clear number one back and different roles for different backups.
2) Need for a true top receiver
The Broncos had a solid group of receivers for the 2025 season, but lacked a true WR1. Courtland Sutton has been their top receiver in years past, and while he is still good, it is clear that he is far from the top wideout, likely a top-15 in the league type guy. A Webb system might need more out of a top wideout, which could push the Broncos to add one this spring.
1) Less screens and extensions of the running game
The Broncos love to run screens and try to extend the running game, and it only somewhat worked last year. The Broncos heavily relied on their screens, but by the end of the year, it felt as though the Broncos were falling short of the needed production to warrant that many screens. It is a staple of a Payton offense, which could begin to phase away with Webb calling plays.