The 2026 NFL Combine is underway in Indianapolis. Yesterday, both Head Coach Sean Payton and General Manager George Paton fielded questions about the status of the Denver Broncos. Poised and confident, both Payton and Paton set forth a positive vision on how they plan to forge their way toward the franchise’s fourth Lombardi Trophy next season.
And sometimes in order to progress, big changes have to be made. Over the course of last season, certain segments of Broncos Country weren’t inspired by how
Payton went about calling plays. Whether it was getting them in late, overindulging in an ineffective screen game, or inconsistency running the ball—those drew the ire of a lot of fans who were vocal with their displeasure on those issues.
One of the burning questions over the past few weeks for the Broncos is who would be primarily calling plays next season. In front of the media, Payton confirmed that newly promoted Offensive Coordinator Davis Webb will have play-calling duties in ‘26. Though mentioned he would still play an integral role in developing game plans and calling the occasional play.
“He’s extremely talented. With regards to play calling, it’s something that he’ll be really good at it. Man, it’s like, ‘Would you give up play calling?’ I would only do that if I felt like it would help our team,” Payton remarked in glowing praise of Webb.
“I’ll still be involved with what we do offensively, just like what we do defensively. But I do think he has a gift. He’s real sharp. I’m glad he’s on our staff. Typically, any decision we make like that is to benefit our team. I’m looking forward to it,” he added.
Payton praised Webb’s work ethic, background, and success in helping develop Bo Nix as key reasons why he was willing to take a step back and give him the reigns. He also mentioned perhaps a bit of fatigue came into play. The rigors of doing that, as well as a myriad of other responsibilities that come along with being a Head Coach for nearly two decades, as definitely weighed on him over the years.
In addition to the big change on offense, Payton mentioned that he wants to see GM George Paton get extended as soon as possible. He also divulged what areas of the team have the biggest room for improvement. Without hesitation, Payton signified three major needs the team views as essential to address: Linebacker, running back, and tight end. The same position groups I felt worthy of mentioning a few weeks ago.
“If we look at our roster and we start doing the ‘musts’, you would say you have to take the free agents out of the equation. So, running back would have to be one. Linebacker, there are two of them. When we go through that exercise, I think you have to remove the magnets. I would say when you do that, you look at the roster differently. You look at tight end differently. So those are positions certainly that would stand out,” stated Payton.
While many fans are eager to see a revamped linebacker room, it appears the Broncos seem to have continuity on the mind. When it was his turn to speak, Paton expressed the team has profound interest in bringing back Alex Singleton and Justin Strnad to keep their defense intact.
“We’d love to have those guys back. We’d love to have them back, regardless of what’s in the draft. We see those guys as Broncos. If we let those guys leave, what are we doing? Those are good guys, but that doesn’t mean we can get them,” added Paton.
Potentially replacing 1,500 snaps won’t be an easy task. If one of the aforementioned were to head for greener pastures in free agency, the Broncos may very well pivot toward utilizing an early selection in the NFL Draft to bolster the position group. When glossing over their roster, they certainly have a significant long-term and developmental need there.
As reported, scouts and personnel representatives for Denver met with several of the best prospects participating at Indianapolis. Teams are allowed to schedule 45 personal interviews with players at the Combine It appears the Broncos have allocated a decent portion of them to linebacker. That makes it quite clear they are being as diligent as possible.
Georgia’s C.J. Allen is an often-mocked name to Denver, with Texas standout Anthony Hill Jr. also having a contingent of analysts who think his playmaking ability would be an asset for Defensive Coordinator Vance Joseph’s defense. Is a linebacker in play early for Denver? Yes. But that depends on how free agency shakes out, and Paton noted it will take the right type of player considering how complex the scheme is.
“I think so. I think that this is a pretty good linebacker class. It is a tough position for a rookie to come in and play right away, especially with some of the things that we do. I do like the depth of this class, I do. We’ll see. It’s early in the process. We interviewed those guys last night. It was a sharp group, definitely,” stated Paton.
In addition to questions about potential needs, Paton also had high praise for last year’s draft class—in particular Jahdae Barron and RJ Harvey—who he believes will only continue to get better. He also mentioned a desire to retain Ja’Quan McMillian, Denver’s standout nickelback who is drawing interest around the league. But above all else, Paton vowed that the Broncos will be diligent with their offseason endeavors to continue their trek back to the top of the NFL.
“After the season, you reset because our team is not going to be the same. We have to be urgent. We don’t control a lot in free agency. Guys can leave. said in January that we are going to be urgent and aggressive in our approach with no stone unturned. We are looking at everything.”
