PAYTON RETAKES BRONCOS PLAY-CALLING DUTIES FROM WEBB

Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton has taken back offensive play-calling duties from offensive coordinator Davis Webb, the team confirmed on Thursday. Payton handed the role to Webb before the start of the season, but reversed the decision after four games in which Denver's offence struggled. "We'll make a change offensively. I'll call the plays," Payton said at a press conference. He added that Webb will remain involved in forming game plans but will no longer be the voice in quarterback Bo Nix's ear on game days. The Broncos are 2-2 so far this season.

Denver's offence ranks 27th in the NFL in both scoring and total yards, 29th in rushing and 20th in passing, according to figures cited by ESPN. The team has managed only 16 plays of 20 yards or more through four games, placing it 30th in the league for explosive plays, while Nix is averaging 6.1 air yards per attempt. Payton had initially defended Webb earlier in the week, saying the problems ran deeper than who was calling plays and pointing instead to execution and attention to detail on individual plays. He said evaluating the "whys" behind the team's performance was his most important task. Denver scored just 13 points in the first half across its opening four games.

Payton said the decision to reclaim play-calling was harder than the one to give it up, but said he believes "there's more there" offensively than the team has shown. He noted that Webb remains a prospect to become a head coach in future and compared the situation to his own experience as offensive coordinator under Jim Fassel with the New York Giants earlier in his career. Payton will call the plays for the first time under the new arrangement when the Broncos face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.