Sean Payton was hired as head coach by the Broncos’ new ownership group last January to return the team to its former winning ways.
One of Payton’s major priorities has been to revitalize 34-year-old Russell Wilson back to the Pro Bowl form he showed during his 10-year career with the Seahawks.
In order to help accomplish this goal, Payton made the unorthodox choice of bringing on 28-year-old Davis Webb as the team’s quarterback coach to work with Wilson.
Webb made his only NFL career start at quarterback for the Giants in their regular season finale last season. He originally was that team’s third-round selection in the 2017 Draft. He stayed on the East Coast and was on the Jets (2018) and Bills (2019-21) before returning to the Giants last season. While a six-year veteran, he had little regular season playing experience before getting a call from Payton regarding a possible slot on the new coaching staff.
“Davis came highly recommended,” Payton explains. “I heard from many people I respect including (Giants head coach) Brian Daboll and Eli Manning. Davis is a coach’s son and I kept hearing the same good things about him. We brought him in for an interview. He had a file on his computer of every game plan he’s had going back to his high school and college days. It was really impressive just going through the process.”
Although six years younger than his starting quarterback, Webb has made an immediate impact in the Broncos locker room as the team prepares for its regular season opener in 10 days.
“It’s so hard to play quarterback in the NFL in general,“ Wilson says, “but Coach Webb is an incredible teacher and a great communicator. He’s been in different type offenses, so he understands how to play the quarterback position. He’s been out there on the field and strapped on the pads, so he’s got a great presence.”
The young Coach Webb knows he probably could have stayed in uniform –at least as a backup quarterback– for a few more seasons but he is on a mission.
“I didn’t stop playing for nothing,” Webb recently said. “I want to accomplish my goal and this is a good first step toward it.”
We wish Davis Webb, one of our newest alumni members, much success in his new coaching profession. The combination of offensive-minded Sean Payton, a reinvigorated Russell Wilson, and a young, innovative Davis Webb should once again make the Broncos a tough competitor in the AFC West.
