Sean Payton may be ready to grab the headset back for Denver.
A report from former Broncos receiver Brandon Stokley first put the possibility in motion on October 7, when he said he had heard Payton would resume play-calling duties in Week 5. Denver is set to face the Los Angeles Chargers this week, and Stokley made the claim plainly: “I’m hearing that Sean Payton is going to be taking over play calling this week,” Stokley wrote on X. “Should be an interesting week.”
That was backed up a day later by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who said his group had “confirmed” Payton would once again call offensive plays. If that happens, Davis Webb’s run as the man handling the offense would be over. Denver elevated Webb to offensive coordinator this offseason and gave him the play-calling job, but the move now appears to be shifting back to Payton.
Florio tied the possible change directly to Denver’s rough start. The Broncos opened with a 31-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, and the offense managed only 176 total yards in that game. Kenneth Walker III alone gained 191 yards in his first game with Kansas City.
The timing also lines up with the schedule. Florio noted that the Chargers in Week 5 could serve as the handoff point, giving Payton a chance to settle back into the role before Denver turns around to face the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football in Week 6.
“Ultimately, it’s Payton’s team,” Florio wrote. “He needs to do whatever he thinks he should do to help the Broncos meet the high bar for 2026 that was created by their success in 2025.
And the clock is ticking. Loudly.”
Still, not everyone around the team seemed to be hearing the same thing. KOA’s Benjamin Allbright pushed back after Stokley’s report surfaced, saying a Broncos source told him, “Saw that - hadn’t heard it and it didn’t look that way in practice.” Allbright later said that source reached out to him on Wednesday night, with the message indicating that “the whole building wasn’t on the same page.”
Payton, meanwhile, downplayed the obsession with who is making the calls when he spoke to reporters on October 7. “I think our focus needs to be more on the specifics and the detail of each play regardless,” Payton told reporters. “I think the most important job I have is, really, evaluating the whys.”
The numbers help explain why this is even a conversation. Denver finished last season ranked 10th in total offense and 14th in scoring.
Through four games this year, the Broncos sit 27th in both categories. With the offense sputtering, Payton could be preparing to take a more direct hand in trying to fix it.
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