Sean Payton is changing course four games into the season, and the Broncos’ offense is about to feel more of his hand again.
After handing off play-calling duties to Davis Webb this offseason, Payton is stepping back into that process following Denver’s 2-2 start. Denver Sports 104.3 The Fan’s Brandon Stokley reported the possible shift on Wednesday night, and the 24-14 loss in San Francisco appears to have pushed it over the edge. The Broncos’ offense never settled in against the 49ers, struggling to stack together consistent drives or find any real rhythm.
On a recent edition of “Stokley and Evans, with Mark Schlereth” on 104.3 The Fan, Stokley asked whether the move came too early.
“And here we are, 4 weeks. What do you think?
Is it premature to do it?” Stokley asked.
Schlereth didn’t see it that way.
“No. I mean listen, had it looked different on Sunday against the Niners, then I think you would have continued to kinda stay the course,” Schlereth said.
He said the timing looked strange, but the performance left Payton little choice.
“But it was so bad. And it wasn’t the play calling, it was just the execution. It was so bad that Sean just feels like his voice needs to be heard, and it needs to be heard more than it has been heard,” Schlereth said.
Schlereth had already been blunt earlier in the week, when he said the 49ers loss was “100%” on Bo Nix. In his view, the scheme created five or six open chunk plays in the first half, including an over route to Evan Engram that could have turned into a 40- or 50-yard gain.
The openings were there. Nix simply didn’t hit them.
That still leaves Webb in the middle of the equation. He coached Nix as quarterbacks coach for two seasons, and his role has included making sure the quarterback understands where the ball should go before the snap and trusts the read.
If Nix passes on an open first option, that’s on him. But it also raises the issue of whether the call and the read are syncing up the way they should, which is where Payton may now step back in.
For Schlereth, the broader fix is simple: the Broncos need an offense that runs cleaner and puts less on Nix’s shoulders.
“They’ve got to be just a more efficient offense to take some of the pressure off of Bo Nix. So yeah, it doesn’t surprise me,” Schlereth said.
The slow starts, the third-and-longs and the late-game escapes have all piled extra responsibility on Nix. If Denver can stay ahead of the chains, he won’t have to keep playing rescue quarterback every week.
“two days ago.” Sean Payton held off for three more games. Now the Broncos will see whether more of his voice can steady the offense.
In Other News...
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 🡒]