A new voice for Bo Nix, but Sean Payton still holds the Broncos' play call sheet

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — There's a new, yet familiar, voice in Bo Nix 's ear these days.

Sean Payton has long been viewed as one of the NFL's top play-callers, but he has decided to give up that duty this season.

Instead, first-year offensive coordinator Davis Webb will call plays for a Denver Broncos team that reached the AFC title game.

The 31-year-old former NFL quarterback is on the fast track after finishing his playing career in the 2022 season. He spent three seasons as QBs coach in Denver and now will call plays for a Super Bowl contender.

This is still Payton's offense, though. He and Webb collaborate on play designs and game plans and Payton said he'll still have a call sheet on the sideline and won't hesitate to voice his opinion.

“Some suggestions,” Payton said.

Pause.

“Some mandates,” Payton added with a chuckle.

That's fine, Davis said, revealing that Payton has usually had a handful of tips for him during preseason games.

Davis figures he's got the best of both worlds, having his play-calling mentor by his side and squaring off against defensive coordinator Vance Joseph and Denver's stout defense all summer.

“I'm very, very thankful and blessed to have that because I might have a call that I think has a chance to work, but I know Vance is going to give us the toughest look whether that be scheme or player-wise,” Webb said.

Webb had some opportunities to leave Denver in this most recent coaching cycle, but he stayed after Payton offered to let him call plays after he'd served two seasons as Nix's position coach.

Nix said having Payton call the plays his first two seasons was about “getting the foundation in;” now it's about taking that next step together with Webb.

“I think it was a good decision for all,” Nix said. "Coach is not going to go away. He’s still going to be there. He’s still going to be alongside Davis on the sideline with a call sheet, same system. ... We’re going to have a lot of people seeing a lot of different things, which is good, always what a quarterback wants. So not much is going to change, just a different voice in my ear and maybe just a different diagram on the play sheet.”

Nix said he likes Davis' style.

“I feel like Davis is doing a really good job of communicating with me and not overcommunicating, but just giving me a few things here and there, reminders, little things about a play,” Nix said. "He’s been waiting for this moment for a long time.”

There were no hiccups in their preseason cameo together against Green Bay when Nix led Denver to a touchdown and a field goal in his two drives.

“Smooth,” Payton said. “It was good. Communication process was good. Yes, no issues. It was all clean.”

Apparent in Nix's lone preseason action was the quarterback getting to the line much quicker and having more time to survey the defense and adjust accordingly. One factor in Payton relinquishing play-calling duties was that he felt he sometimes was slow getting the play in and that led to a rushed Nix having less time to decipher the defense.

Along with getting the calls in sooner, Davis is hoping to get the offense going earlier.

Slow starts have been a problem in Denver and Davis aims to turn Nix from an elite fourth-quarter quarterback — his eight such wins are the most through a player's first two NFL seasons in league history — into four-quarter QB who doesn't need to rely so heavily on late heroics to pull out victories.

The Broncos open the season Monday night at Kansas City against a Chiefs team they dethroned as AFC West champions last year after a nine-year run by their rivals.

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