Denver found their Offensive Coordinator with the quickness.
And the hunt for another lifelong Bronco is underway.
Wide Receiver, Tight End, Running Back, Defensive Back, Offensive Lineman?
The plethora of potential in the talent pool in this year’s draft will give Denver plenty of options to fill in the two most important positions that need attention.
It is time to play chess in the boardroom. Denver Broncos GM Paton is ready, as he looks to add to his resumé of jumpstarting the careers of highly touted D1 college players into elite NFL players, with his partner in crime, Sean Payton at the helm of operating the moving parts on the field.
Sean Payton needed to get things in motion to fill the void for the Offensive Coordinator position after releasing former OC Joe Lombardi. Just in the nick of time before the draft, Payton made the decision to promote the Quarterback’s Coach, Webb Davis who has been with the Broncos since 2023.
Webb Davis will now officially have the duty of calling the plays on offense, working alongside Sean Payton and Bo Nix. Coach Payton made it clear that he will still be calling plays occasionally, or during moments where he feels he needs to control orchestrating plays on certain “4th Down” situations as we’ve all seen this past season. Hopefully, Webb will be given free rein to lead the offensive without any pushback.
Davis has a decent background playing as a backup behind Patrick Mahomes II at Texas Tech before being drafted in the 3rd round as the 87th pick overall. Prior to working as a Quarterback’s Coach, he also played as a backup QB for the New York Giants, NY Jets, and Buffalo Bills from 2017-2022. For Sean Payton to assign Davis as the play caller should help tremendously to move the ball downfield for the offense. Strategically, he is aggressive but intelligent and calculated in dire situations.
Sean Payton’s Statement on promoting Webb Davos as the new OC:
“He’s extremely talented. With regards to playcalling… I’ll still be involved with what we do offensively just like what we do defensively, but I do think he has a gift. I think he’s real sharp, I’m glad he’s on our staff… Typically any decisions that we make like that is to benefit our team.”
- Denver Broncos Head Coach, Sean Payton
Paton and Davis will be an intriguing dynamic duo to mastermind the offense next season, and there couldn’t have been a better time for Payton to promote Webb days before the NFL Combine. Also, having an offensive coordinator who spent his entire college career playing behind and studying who is now the Quarterback for the AFC division rival (Patrick Mahomes II for the Kansas City Chiefs) is the ideal situation for Denver.
Draft Picks. Trades. Contract Extensions.
Yesterday during the combine, Denver sat down and interviewed Kenyon Sadiq, who is Bo Nix’s old teammate from Oregon and apparently it went well. Sadiq only caught one pass from Bo during his year as freshman, but now Sadiq is a specimen at Tight End, built like a brickhouse sitting at 6’3” 245, finishing last season with 51 receptions, 560 yards, and 8 TDs. Sadiq has only gotten bigger, faster, and stronger since stepping on the field with Nix. Denver is in need of a young playmaking TE, so this would be the move to bring another OG Duck into the Mile High City.
Will Denver use the 30th pick, or will they consider making a trade that’ll include their draft pick to snag an established veteran WR or RB?
Denver met with several top RB and TE prospects so far at the combine, so it is evident which positions are the most important to fill early in the draft. There’s no telling; there are a handful of veteran free agents to target.
NY Jets Running Back Breece Hall expressed how adamant he is to play for a Super Bowl contender next season. The Jets GM Darren Mougey mentioned in an interview that he is going to put the franchise tag on Breece Hall if they aren’t able to come to an agreement on a long-term contract for Hall. The lifespan of a running back in the NFL is short-lived, and Hall certainly doesn’t want to waste any more time playing for an organization that has no shot at a Super Bowl appearance.
The Denver Broncos Defensive Unit:
The “Orange Crush” defensive unit is top tier and won’t need many modifications. The D-Unit can only get better, and watching the level of elevation was aesthetically appealing this past season.
Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph had a few interviews with other NFL teams for the Head Coach position. Vance swiftly turned them all down, choosing to stay put giving him a better chance at a Super Bowl run in Denver with an organization that he is already comfortable and familiar with.
Vance Joseph will reunite with Defensive Coach at the University of Colorado, Robert Livingston. Coach Liv oversaw the duties of directing the CU Buffs Defense and did an excellent job improving one of the worst defenses in the NCAA that year. Vance and Robert also coached together at the NFL level in Cincinnati during the 2014-15 season, so it won’t be long for the two to get acquainted with one another.
The Broncos additionally brought in Doug Belk from USC who will serve as the Defensive Backs Coach. One can only imagine walking into an appealing situation like this can only go up from here. Denver has noted the interest in both the USC DBs Bishop Fitzgerald and Kamari Ramsey, both players having ties to Coach Doug Belk. So, it wouldn’t be surprising if one or both DB’s were to end up in Denver.
Denver just announced the news that DB Ja’Quan McMillian will be placed as a 2nd Round tender at $5.8 million, which means McMillian will probably stay in Denver. Smart move on management. Now if another team were to show interest in acquiring McMillian, they would have to match the offer and also include a 2nd round pick as compensation.
The defense is money. Locking down Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad, both unrestricted FA’s will be a high priority for Denver between the combine and the draft. Same goes for Jonathan Franklin-Myers, who is without a doubt the top FA Defensive Lineman. Franklin-Myers will likely require a hefty contract, so the Broncos will have to weigh their options to keep a proven D-lineman or consider filling his position later in the draft with younger talent. Either way, this NFL Combine is loaded at every position the Broncos are desiring to plug.
Dante Robinson | Senior NFL Analyst for The NSR Network
