Sean Payton’s game day role explained by Mike Klis

9News Broncos insider Mike Klis says head coach Sean Payton has been more involved in game planning since the Chiefs loss, but who talks to Bo Nix during games is still an open question.

Sean Payton is stepping back into the Broncos’ play calling arena, but what that looks like in practice is less clear. After a 2-2 start and a frustrating 24-14 loss in San Francisco, reports say Sean Payton will take a larger role in calling plays. Davis Webb keeps his title for now. How much his job actually changes should start to become clear Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, 9News Broncos insider Mike Klis explained the change by splitting it into two parts.

“Two components. The game planning. That’s been happening, with Sean Payton way more involved. Really he got involved starting after the Chiefs game,” Klis said.

That timeline matters. Payton didn’t wait until Week 4 to get involved. After the 31-10 loss at Kansas City in the opener, he started taking a bigger role in the weekly game plan, including how the offense prepares in practice and how the opening script gets built. That script has been one of Denver’s biggest problems this season. The Broncos trailed early against Jacksonville, fell behind 16-0 at halftime against the Rams and never found a rhythm in San Francisco. More of Payton’s input early in the week could help with that.

The second part is the harder one to judge from the outside.

“And then play calling on game day. And that’s gonna be interesting to see if Sean’s still gonna be communicating with Bo Nix, or Davis Webb will continue to be the one communicating with Bo Nix,” Klis said.

The voice in Nix’s helmet matters. Webb coached Nix as his QB coach for his first two NFL seasons and knows how he processes information. The quarterback-to-coach relationship that came with Webb’s promotion was one of the main selling points of the change. If Sean Payton takes over the headset, that relationship shifts in the middle of a season, at a time when Nix is already struggling with rhythm and trust in the pocket.

Klis noted that the Broncos have options that don’t require choosing one or the other.

“But, you know, you can do some hocus pocus with that. You know, Sean can tell Davis, and Davis can tell Bo. So I’m not sure how they’re gonna try to work that out,” Klis said.

A relay setup like that would let Payton make the calls while Nix keeps hearing a familiar voice. It also adds a step to a process where every second counts between snaps. The Broncos have already had trouble getting plays in and getting set this season. Another layer of communication could make that better or worse, depending on how smoothly Payton and Webb work together.

None of this fixes the problem Mark Schlereth pointed to after the 49ers game. The scheme was getting receivers open, and Nix wasn’t throwing to them. Sean Payton can design the plays and call them himself, but Nix still has to see the open receiver and throw it. A cleaner game plan and a better opening script should at least put the offense in more favorable situations early, which would take some of the pressure off Nix.

The Chargers game will give the first real look at the new setup. Watch the opening drive to see whether the script looks different. Watch the sideline to see who is holding the play sheet. And watch whether Nix plays with more confidence when he knows the head coach is directly involved.

Sean Payton handed off the job he’s best known for this offseason. Four weeks later, he’s taking part of it back. Klis says the game-planning side is already settled, and Sunday should show how the game-day side works.

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