Falling just one score short of making a Super Bowl appearance, the Denver Broncos start the arduous task of starting all over in 2026. In doing so, the Sean Payton regime has ended one season and started another with drastic measures meant to shake up the system internally and deliver positive results on offense.

It started with the firing of offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi after the AFC Championship game loss. Dating back to the start of Sean Payton’s tenure as the Denver Broncos’ head coach, the Broncos were notorious for slow starts, with the majority of their wins coming in comeback victories late in the game. Lombardi took the fall even though it was Payton who did the play calling from the sideline. Lombardi was replaced by third-year assistant coach Davis Webb, who took over as the new offensive coordinator.

It didn’t stop there. On Tuesday, Payton sent shock waves through the status quo at the Scouting Combine, announcing that he would relinquish his play-calling duties to Webb. Webb got favorable reviews from Payton after calling the plays in a preseason game in the 2025 season. Davis, 31, had a six-year playing career as an NFL quarterback.

“He’s extremely talented. With regard to play-calling, he’ll be really good at it. Man, it’s like, ‘Would you give up play calling?’” Payton said of Webb. “I would only do that if I felt like it would help our team. I’ll still be involved with what we do offensively, just like what we do defensively. But I do think he has a gift. He’s really sharp. I’m glad he’s on our staff. Typically, any decision we make like that is to benefit our team.”

NFL coaches and GMs from across the league will be meeting new players ahead of the NFL Draft in April. Players will be interviewed by the teams, and most will run drills with their respective position rivals throughout the week. Broncos’ General Manager George Paton met with the media on Tuesday to discuss the process.

“It would be kind of cool to be home and just watching tape and grinding, yet the reason that you want to come here is to get in front of the players and get to know the players,” Paton said. “It’s another step in the process of trying to get to know these players in person and face-to-face. The more that you get to know these players, I just think the better of a decision you will make... To each his own.”

Similar to last year’s situation, the Broncos are still in need of a running back to complement quarterback Bo Nix and the offense. RJ Harvey, going into his second season, exceeded expectations in his rookie season, but he is the only running back currently under contract. J.K. Dobbins, who played 10 games before his injury, is a free agent who has expressed interest in remaining in Denver. The free agency market opens on March 11th, followed by the NFL Draft on April 23-26. The Scouting Combine runs February 24th through March 1st.

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