So what of the possibility that Sean Payton could hand over the play-calling reins to Webb, too?<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019d be awesome, man,\u201d Bolles said Monday after the AFC\u2019s Pro Bowl practice, grinning. \u201cDW is the best. We love him. I\u2019m excited to see what he can do for us.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Monday, nearly 1,000 miles away from a rapidly-changing facility in Denver, the Broncos\u2019 best and brightest gathered at the Moscone Center in San Francisco for a couple of days of Pro Bowl festivities and basking in football regality. Bolles was having more fun than anyone, palling around with fellow Pro Bowl contemporaries and snapping the ball during the AFC\u2019s walkthrough. Receiver Courtland Sutton caught a few half-speed passes from former Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco, now a veteran with the Cincinnati Bengals. Defensive lineman Zach Allen played in an afternoon Dodgeball game and accidentally beaned another Pro Bowl lineman in the face.<\/p>\n
Still, widespread mirth masked an unmistakable melancholy. All of them wished they were in the Bay Area for a few days longer, a week after an AFC title-game loss to New England that ended their season short of a Super Bowl.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just try to avoid the Super Bowl ads and everything as much as possible,\u201d Allen told The Denver Post. \u201cEvery time (I) see it, I get pretty upset. Maybe after the game, I\u2019ll calm down a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Aftershocks from that Patriots loss have rippled through the Broncos\u2019 staff. Denver fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi<\/a>, receivers coach Keary Colbert and cornerbacks coach Addison Lynch. Senior offensive assistant Pete Carmichael<\/a> and defensive passing-game coordinator Jim Leonhard left for jobs<\/a> with the Buffalo Bills. But Denver has ensured a couple of key coaching retentions, as Payton officially hired Webb as his OC Monday<\/a> \u2014 in a move that could signal Payton is ready to pass off play-calling duties<\/a> for the first time in an 18-year head-coaching career.<\/p>\n Broncos lifers are on board.<\/p>\n \u201cWhatever happens, happens,\u201d Sutton told The Post when asked about Webb potentially being his play-caller. \u201cI love Davis, and so if he gets the opportunity to call the plays \u2014 I think he has the heartbeat of the offense. And so everybody\u2019s going to enjoy having him, if that is what winds up happening.\u201d<\/p>\n The Broncos, too, will all but surely see Vance Joseph back as defensive coordinator in 2026. After two straight seasons in command of the NFL\u2019s No. 3 defense, the league\u2019s head-coaching carousel spun through 10 jobs without any team hiring Joseph.<\/p>\n \u201cSelfishly, I\u2019m not (upset),\u201d outside linebacker Nik Bonitto told The Post, \u201cbecause I love VJ. And I love having him be my DC. But, no, his time will come soon, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s slightly bittersweet. Joseph was one of the NFL\u2019s hottest coaching names at the start of the cycle, and received interview requests from six of seven initial teams with head-coach openings. But interest quickly fizzled, and Joseph was left on the outside looking in again. Not a single Black candidate was hired this cycle.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cHe deserves it,\u201d Allen said. \u201cI mean, he would make an incredible head coach. He\u2019s a leader of men. Like, he checks every single box. I don\u2019t know what the teams are looking for.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for us, it\u2019s good news,\u201d Allen continued. \u201cSo we\u2019ll take it, however it plays out. So, yeah. He definitely deserves a shot. But the fact that we get to steal another year of him, we\u2019ll take it.\u201d<\/p>\n Allen called Joseph \u201cthe top assistant coach in football,\u201d and he and Bonitto both lauded the benefit of continuity for Denver\u2019s defense under Joseph in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cI know all the defensive guys are excited,\u201d Bonitto said of Joseph\u2019s return, \u201cso it\u2019s going to be really good.\u201d<\/p>\n With Webb and Joseph entrenched, Denver will now turn its attention to free agency, needing to make decisions on a slew of key in-house free agents.<\/a> And just the same as with staff, players continue to advocate for retention in the building, as the Broncos try to build past a No. 1 seed and a sudden end to 2025.<\/p>\n \u201cI think getting Nik signed, getting Zach signed, myself getting signed \u2014 I think getting those guys signed was huge,\u201d Sutton said. \u201cAnd I think we\u2019re going to have another big offseason of signing guys back that helped us, and will continue to help us.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Denver](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/tdp-z-refer-01_500027.jpg\")
Denver Broncos wide receiver Courtland Sutton (14) is congratulated by assistant coach Davis Webb after scoring a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Green Bay Packers in Denver, Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023. (AP Photo\/Jack Dempsey)<\/p>\n