Sean Payton is taking the headset back.
After four weeks of handing offensive play-calling duties to coordinator Davis Webb, the Broncos said Thursday that Payton will resume calling plays against the Chargers in Week 5. The move turns what began in February as a deliberate handoff into an immediate checkpoint for a Denver offense that has not found enough rhythm through the first month.
Payton framed the decision simply: “We’ll do what’s best for the team.”
That answer fit the broader tone of his comments this week. He said the Broncos’ attention has to be on the details of each snap, not on who is holding the call sheet. “I think our focus needs to be more on the specific and the detail of each play regardless [of who’s calling the plays],” Payton said.
The change comes after a stretch in which Denver’s offense has struggled to produce at a level the team can live with. The Broncos rank 27th in scoring offense and total offense, are 24th in yards per play, and have averaged just 81.3 rushing yards per game, which ranks 29th in the league. Through four games, they have scored only 13 first-half points, the fewest in the NFL.
That first-half number stands out even more when set against last season’s pace. At this point a year ago, Denver had already scored 58 first-half points. This year, only one other team has failed to reach 20 first-half points, and even the winless Dolphins have scored more in the opening half than the Broncos.
Payton had initially moved away from the role ahead of the 2026 season, after calling the Broncos’ plays from 2023 through 2025. In February, he decided to hand the responsibility to Webb. Now, after just four weeks, he is stepping back in.
Payton said the decision came because he felt the Broncos needed a change. He also noted this week that the team is still learning what it is over the course of the season: “You’re learning week by week a little bit about this year’s team.”
The timing matters, too. Denver gets the Chargers next, and the matchup offers a chance to reset against a defense that has allowed 26.5 points per game. If the Broncos are going to show that the switch can produce a quick correction, this is the week in front of them.
Payton, in his 20th season as an NFL head coach, has usually been the one making the offensive calls. This time, the experiment lasted only four games before the Broncos returned to the familiar setup. Whether that brings cleaner execution against the Chargers is now the question hanging over the move.