Sean Payton Takes Back Broncos Play Calling in Week 5

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton said on Thursday that he will reassume Broncos play calling duties for the team’s Week 5 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, ending offensive coordinator Davis Webb’s four-game run as the primary play-caller. The Broncos announced the change on the team’s official site as Denver prepared for a divisional road matchup on Sunday.

Payton had called Denver’s offensive plays from 2023 through 2025 before handing the responsibility to Webb ahead of the 2026 season. The reversal comes with the Broncos at 2-2 and coming off a 24-14 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, a result that renewed questions about an offense that has struggled to sustain drives and finish possessions.

Broncos play calling change for Week 5

Payton told reporters the staff would make a change offensively and that he would call the plays, according to the Broncos’ official report of his Thursday remarks. He said Webb would remain on the field during the game and stay involved in game planning, and that the two had discussed the move earlier in the week.

Payton praised Webb’s handling of the change and said he believes Webb has the traits of a future head coach. Asked whether the shift is permanent, Payton said the team is focused on this week, according to the team’s account. He will communicate directly with quarterback Bo Nix through the headset-to-helmet system during the game.

• New play-caller: Head coach Sean Payton, starting in Week 5
• Previous play-caller: Offensive coordinator Davis Webb, Weeks 1-4 of 2026
• Broncos record: 2-2 entering the Chargers game
• Week 5 opponent: Los Angeles Chargers, on the road

Why Denver is making the change now

The Broncos’ offense has been uneven through four games. Coverage of the change by Ahn Fire Digital and other outlets pointed to long stretches of promising possessions that stalled before producing touchdowns, and to a run game that has ranked near the bottom of the league in yards per game in early-season statistics cited in game previews.

Denver opened with a road loss at Kansas City, then won home games against Jacksonville and the Los Angeles Rams, before losing at San Francisco. Both defeats featured low offensive output, which increased scrutiny on the play-calling arrangement and on how quickly the staff could correct protection, sequencing and situational decisions.

Payton framed the move as an evaluation no different from assessing a position group. In the team’s account, he said he met with the offense and emphasized buttoning up small details that keep drives from being sustained. The message was about execution as much as about who holds the play sheet on Sunday.

What it means for Bo Nix and Davis Webb

For Nix, the change restores a familiar voice. Payton called plays during Nix’s earlier seasons in Denver, so the terminology, tempo preferences and sideline communication should require little adjustment. The quarterback’s comfort with the operation will be an early indicator of whether the change helps.

Webb’s role shifts rather than disappears. He remains the offensive coordinator, will be on the field, and stays central to the weekly game plan, according to Payton’s remarks. The staff has described the approach for Week 5 as more collaborative, with Payton holding final responsibility for the calls that reach the quarterback.

Reaction around the league

National reporters characterized the move in different ways. ESPN’s Adam Schefter described a more collaborative approach with Payton taking an increased role and Webb keeping a significant game-planning and game-day role, in a post summarized by Pro Football Network. Other commentators read the same news more bluntly, arguing that Payton is effectively the play-caller again.

There is also a personnel debate underneath the coaching one. Some analysts have argued that Denver’s issues say as much about quarterback play and offensive talent as about the call sheet. The Week 5 game will not settle that argument on its own, but a cleaner operation against the Chargers would support the staff’s view that sequencing and detail were the immediate problems.

The test in Los Angeles

The Chargers enter the matchup looking to steady their own season, which sets up a game where both staffs face urgency. For Denver, the priorities are straightforward: stay on schedule on early downs, protect Nix, run the ball well enough to keep the play-action game credible, and convert in the red zone after settling for too little in the losses.

Payton’s history as a play-caller is the reason the move is drawing attention. He built his reputation in New Orleans and Denver on detailed game plans and aggressive situational calls. Whether that translates immediately with this roster, against a divisional opponent that knows Denver well, is the question Week 5 will begin to answer. Radiosea will have a recap after the game.