Denver Broncos Fire OC Joe Lombardi, Opening Door for Davis Webb

The Denver Broncos just fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

That now opens the door for Davis Webb, who’s been a hot name in the head coaching searches this year, as Denver’s likely next offensive coordinator.

Denver Broncos Fire OC Joe Lombardi

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Denver Broncos fired Joe Lombardi On Tuesday afternoon.

Lombardi was hired by head coach Sean Payton in 2023 and has been Payton’s only offensive coordinator in Denver to this point.

His biggest achievement has been the development of Quinn Meinerz into a 2-time All-Pro guard.

But the Broncos offense has definitely struggled along the way the last three years.

They were 19th in points scored in 2023, then improved to 10th last year before falling back to 14th (23.6 PPG) this year.

Early on in the season, the offense was inept. They barely scraped by the lowly New York Jets, and through three quarters against the New York Giants, Denver trailed 19-0 before a miraculous comeback.

All of the lows cannot be pinned on Lombardi, though, as Sean Payton is the one who calls the plays.

Now, the Broncos move on from Lombardi.

Sean Payton Should’ve Kicked the Field Goal, Denver Broncos Lose 10-7

Sean Payton should’ve kicked the field goal in the second quarter, extending Denver’s lead to 10-0. Instead, he went for it on 4th down on a pass play, and turned it over.

Broncos BlitzRich Kurtzman

Will Davis Webb Become Denver Broncos New Offensive Coordinator?

With Joe Lombardi being fired, the Broncos could promote Davis Webb to offensive coordinator.

Webb recently interviewed for the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas Raiders head coaching openings.

But the Bills promoted Joe Brady, the former OC, to head coach on Tuesday. That led to Jim Leonhard of the Broncos being a leading candidate for the Bills DC job.

Update: According to Luca Evans of The Denver Post, the Broncos will conduct a full search for the next OC after Webb's second interview with the Raiders yesterday:

However, the timing of all of this is interesting. If Webb had a good second interview, perhaps Denver is trying to keep him with a promotion to OC.

It will be interesting to see how this develops over the next few weeks.

Webb, 31, is in his third year under Sean Payton. His position is offensive pass game coordinator / quarterbacks coach. He's the one who's worked incredibly closely with Bo Nix for the last two years, and Webb relays play calls from Payton into Nix's helmet.

Webb was a quarterback in the NFL, too, so he can relate that experience to the QBs on the Broncos today. He played for the Giants, Jets, and Buffalo Bills.

If Webb becomes OC, will he call plays for the Broncos?

Webb did call plays during the preseason, but Sean Payton will still likely call the plays in 2026.

Still, Payton did say this before the Broncos-Bills Divisional game:

"The thing that I have to continue that changes as you get older is you still have to be quick. Play just ran, next play. I said this. When I was younger, we’d run a reverse on the eight-yard line, and I think nothing of it. As you get older, you think about all the ramifications. So I have to also remove that. It was said as you get older, maybe you don’t drive in the rain at night. You begin to… I can’t let that happen as a play caller. That’s something that I have to mentally make sure it’s quick. It’s quick and decisive, and it’s daring at the right time. Not reckless, but those are things that I find that are challenges compared to when I was 33 in New York or whatever."

Payton's play calling left Broncos fans befuddled for much of this season. And then, on Sunday, Payton should've kicked the field goal in the second quarter instead of going for it. At the very least, he probably should've tried a run instead of a rollout pass with the backup quarterback, Jarrett Stidham.

Ultimately, those types of calls will still probably be in Payton's wheelhouse. But maybe promoting Webb, if he does, will allow Payton to take his input more readily, which could end up helping the team in the long run.

[This story will be updated as needed.]

NFL Football is Meant to Be Played Outdoors, in the Snow

Following the AFC Championship Game, the NFL world is divided. Some have become outspoken against snow football games, while others love weather games.

Broncos BlitzRich Kurtzman

Thanks for reading! Please subscribe or leave a tip to keep The Broncos Blitz going.