Sean Payton has seen enough.
After four ugly games to open the 2026 season, the Broncos coach has taken play-calling duties away from Davis Webb, a move that felt less like a bold gamble and more like the only path left after Denver’s offense sputtered through September.
The numbers tell the story fast. Denver sits 27th in points scored, 27th in first downs, 20th in passing, and 29th in rushing.
That’s not a unit that’s merely underperforming in one area. That’s a full offensive stall.
Bo Nix’s early play in his third season with the team has only added to the frustration. Even with a small sample size, the Broncos haven’t gotten nearly enough from their quarterback or the offense around him. The operation has looked inefficient and ineffective, with only a few bright spots scattered through games against the Jaguars and Rams.
But the ugly part has been the volume of mistakes. Penalties, drops, bad throws, no running game, poor blocking, miscommunication - the Broncos have checked just about every box on the offensive failure list. The only thing that’s been steady is the struggle itself.
That’s why this shift lands more as accountability than a dramatic fix. Payton is the head coach, and when the team is not getting it done, the responsibility sits with him.
The same goes for the offense. He’s also chasing something bigger: becoming the first head coach in NFL history to win a Super Bowl with multiple franchises.
After getting that close last season, he’s not about to let another chance slip away.
At 2-2, this isn’t about panic over the record alone. It’s about how shaky the offense has been from the start and how quickly a slow opening can turn into a real problem. Payton had been clear that starting slowly could hurt the Broncos, and Week 4 against the San Francisco 49ers offered a reminder of exactly why.
Webb was given a real shot to call plays for the first time in the NFL, but in a season where Denver is not rebuilding, not reloading, and not figuring things out on the fly, patience only stretches so far. The Broncos see themselves as a Super Bowl-caliber team with Super Bowl aspirations. In that kind of setup, anything that might help win has to be on the table.
Taking the play sheet back is one of those moves.
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Sean Payton's Pat Surtain Update Should Relieve Broncos Fans
The Broncos got a meaningful bit of news on Pat Surtains ankle injury this week, with Sean Payton saying he does not expect the star cornerback to land on injured reserve. Surtain is still unlikely to suit up in Week 5, but the tone of the update suggests Denver believes the issue is short-term rather than something that will push one of its most important defenders out for an extended stretch.
For a team that leans heavily on Surtains presence in the secondary, that matters. He has already been one of Denvers most reliable players this season, and the Broncos are hoping to have him back within three weeks as they try to keep the defense on track without its top cover man. The exact return date is still uncertain, but for now the outlook appears much better than the worst-case scenario. [Read more 🡒]
Bo Nix Sends Clear Message As Broncos Criticism Keeps Growing
Bo Nix has been around long enough now to understand the noise that comes with playing quarterback in Denver, especially when the offense stumbles. After the Broncos loss to the 49ers, Nix spoke about how he handles the wave of reaction that follows every game, making it clear that the opinions he values most come from inside the building, not from fans or analysts.
For a Broncos offense still trying to find its footing as the season goes on, that approach matters. Nixs focus on coaches and teammates speaks to the kind of weekly reset Denver needs right now, with scrutiny growing and patience thinning around a unit that knows it has work to do. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Trade Chip Just Got More Interesting After Lions' Defensive Mess
The Lions defensive issues have put a spotlight on their secondary, and the conversation has already drifted toward possible fixes. One idea floated by ESPNs Ben Solak points back to Denver, where cornerback Riley Moss has quietly become a name worth monitoring as the Broncos weigh how much value he might carry on the trade market.
Moss is only 26 and was a third-round pick, the kind of young defender a team would prefer to keep unless the return is meaningful. For Detroit, the appeal is obvious given the early-season struggles on that side of the ball, but any attempt to pry him loose would likely take a sizable draft haul and that is where the real question begins. [Read more 🡒]