Lombardi was fired following Denver’s 10-7 AFC Championship Game loss to the New England Patriots. Thus, the decision is likely to garner speculation as to whether it was scapegoating Lombardi for the playoff stumble or making room for Webb so as not to lose the rising coaching talent.
A 2017 third-round pick of the New York Giants, Webb spent time as a quarterback with Big Blue, the New York Jets and Bills.
Webb joined the Broncos staff in 2023, lending a helping hand to Payton turning the franchise around and back into a playoff squad each of the past two seasons. Perhaps most importantly, he’s overseen the maturation of QB Bo Nix‘s first two NFL seasons.
Over the past three seasons, the Broncos offense has improved year by year.
With Payton taking over a Broncos team that was dead last in the NFL in points scored in 2022, the 2023 Denver team was 19th in scoring and 26th in yards. Those numbers rose to 10th and 19th, respectively, in 2024, and 14th and 10th this past season.
So far, things have gone swimmingly in Denver. Payton’s hoping for more of the same as Webb continues his ascent up the coaching ladder.