What if Davis Webb is a better play caller than Sean Payton?

There’s an assumption that’s gone unchallenged in Denver for three years. Sean Payton is one of the greatest play callers in NFL history. He has a Super Bowl ring. He will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His offensive mind has been the foundation of the Broncos’ resurgence. And because all of that is true, the conversation around Davis Webb taking over the play-calling duties has been framed almost exclusively as a question of whether the new coordinator can maintain the standard Payton set, not whether he can exceed it.

Cecil Lammey thinks that framing is wrong.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Lammey asked the question that’s been hiding in plain sight all offseason.

“What if Davis Webb is a better play caller than Sean Payton?” Lammey said.

The natural instinct is to dismiss it. Payton’s résumé is one of the most accomplished in coaching history. But Lammey pressed forward.

“We’d have to wait and see obviously. But why don’t we think that?” Lammey said.

He then acknowledged exactly why the default assumption exists.

“We think that because Sean Payton has been a great play caller. He’s got hardware, he’s long tenured, Hall of Fame coach,” Lammey said.

All of that is undeniable. Payton’s legacy is cemented. But legacy and current performance are two different currencies, and the league’s interest in Webb this offseason suggests that the people who evaluate coaching talent for a living see something in the young coordinator that extends well beyond simply maintaining what Payton built.

Webb was reportedly pursued for head coaching opportunities during the offseason, a remarkable leap for someone transitioning from quarterback coach to coordinator. That kind of external interest doesn’t materialize for a coach who is merely competent. It materializes for a coach the league believes is special.

Lammey laid out the full scope of what that interest represents.

“Sean Payton will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, but what if Davis Webb is better? Everyone across the league is excited for Davis Webb. Sean Payton is the topic of conversation in every single building. He just is. But I’m here to tell you that Davis Webb already is getting people excited. Other teams are excited to see what Davis Webb can do!” Lammey said.

That’s the detail that should make Broncos Country sit up straight. When rival organizations, teams that would benefit from Denver’s offense regressing, are openly excited to see what Webb brings to the table, it tells you something about the reputation he’s already built behind closed doors. Coaches don’t generate that kind of buzz across the league by being average. They generate it by showing something in film study, in meetings, and in the way they communicate with players that signals a mind capable of operating at the highest level.

Monday night at Arrowhead will be the first real test. The Kansas City Chiefs, a returning Patrick Mahomes, and the biggest stage the regular season has to offer. If Webb’s play calling looks anything like what the league apparently expects it to, the Broncos won’t just have a good offense this season. They’ll have a great one. And the question Lammey posed, the one that feels almost heretical to ask out loud, may start sounding a lot less crazy by the time the fourth quarter is over.

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