Even with a talented quarterback in Bo Nix and a new wide receiver in Jaylen Waddle, the Denver Broncos offense still hasn’t delivered.
Payton told reporters that he will be calling the plays starting this Sunday against the Chargers.
ESPN had originally reported that offensive coordinator Davis Webb will still be the main communication with Nix, but Payton would have the final say.
Denver fell to the Chiefs in its Week 1 road opener, 31-10, in Patrick Mahomes’ return from injury; it then secured home wins over the Jaguars in Week 2 and the Rams in Week 3, but suffered its second loss to the 49ers on the road.
That puts the Broncos at 2-2, with both losses resulting from 14 points or fewer on offense, calling for a new solution in play-calling.
Webb got the keys to play-calling this offseason, with Payton still close by. But Payton made it clear that offensive play-calling needed a change moving forward.
“I think our focus needs to be more on the specifics and the detail of each play regardless [of who’s calling the plays]. I think Davis is very fast, very quick, and understands what we’re doing. I think that the most important job I have is really evaluating the whys,” according to ESPN.
Payton’s involvement will help Denvers offense improve across the board, given its numbers after Week 4. The Broncos run game ranks 29th in yards per game with 81, and the offense ranks 27th in yards per game with 280.
Noticing glaring issues early on, Payton noted that correcting them quickly will be vital down the road.
“I think, collectively, we all after a game, and after a four-game sample size, certainly this isn’t championship football, what we see. How quickly can we correct those things?”
With a Week 6 showdown with the Seattle Seahawks, who sit atop the league in yards allowed per game with 246, implementing Payton in a larger play-calling role in Week 5 will be the prime setup heading into a home game vs. Seattles defense.
