Davis Webb

Giants Attempted To Bring Back QB Davis Webb Following Daniel Jones’ Injury

Daniel Jones‘ ACL tear derailed the Giants’ 2023 quarterback plans. New York finished the campaign with a combination of Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito under center, but the team also eyed a reunion with a familiar face.

Broncos head coach Sean Payton revealed during a recent appearance on the Up & Adams show that the Giants attempted to bring back Davis Webb after Jones’ injury (h/t Dan Duggan of The Athletic). 2023 marked the beginning of Webb’s coaching career, taking over as Denver’s QBs coach, so a move sending him back to the playing field certainly would have been noteworthy.

Webb was a Giants third-rounder in 2017, but his regular season playing debut came in 2021 with the Bills. His time in Buffalo allowed him to work with then-OC Brian Daboll, who took on the Giants’ head coaching position the following offseason. Webb followed Daboll to New York in 2022, and he started the regular season finale amidst questions regarding his playing future.

The 29-year-old made it clear during the waning days of his playing tenure that he would be transitioning to the coaching ranks. The Bills were eyeing him as their QBs coach in 2022, before Webb elected to remain a player for one more season. He came highly recommended to Payton while he was assembling his first Broncos staff, and it came as little surprise he found an NFL coaching opportunity immediately after hanging up his cleats.

Before and after Jones’ injury, the Giants’ play at the QB spot was generally underwhelming. The position is again a source of speculation even though Jones is attached to the four-year, $160MM contract he inked last offseason. Bringing in Webb as a late-season stop-gap would have been an unusual course of action, though his familiarity with Daboll’s system likely would have allowed him to step into a starter’s role somewhat smoothly. In any case, he will move forward with his coaching responsibilities while New York seeks clarity on the QB depth chart in 2024 and beyond.

AFC West Notes: Broncos, Raiders, Samuel

Although their interest in Dalvin Cook appeared to cool early in the long-running sweepstakes, the Broncos did keep tabs on the high-profile free agent. The team continued to look into Cook, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com said during a Rich Eisen Show appearance (video link). Cook has since signed a one-year, $7MM Jets deal. While Pelissero adds the Broncos may look to add another back to a group headlined by Javonte Williams and Samaje Perine, the team is sorting through some options behind the veterans. Second-year back Tyler Badie, rookie UDFA Jaleel McLaughlin and ex-Sean Payton Saints charge Tony Jones Jr. are vying for Denver’s RB3 job presently.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • The Raiders took a few fliers at cornerback in free agency, signing Duke Shelley and David Long and reuniting with Brandon Facyson. None of the trio looks likely to start. Instead, fourth-round pick Jakorian Bennett looks to have leapfrogged them. Shelley and Long have fallen out of the mix to start, per The Athletic’s Vic Tafur and Tashaun Reed, who project Bennett to start alongside Marcus Peters and Nate Hobbs (subscription required). Both Long and Facyson have missed time due to injury in camp. The Raiders chose Bennett 104th overall, which would make a Week 1 starting assignment notable. But the Silver and Black, who let Rock Ya-Sin walk (to replace Peters in Baltimore), came into the offseason with major questions at corner.
  • Despite a three-interception wild-card performance, third-year Chargers corner Asante Samuel Jr. faced the prospect of being a backup to start this season. Ja’Sir Taylor, a sixth-round 2022 draftee, has competed with the multiyear starter for the slot job. But Samuel looks to have surged ahead, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. If J.C. Jackson completes his recovery from a torn patellar tendon in time, the Chargers are preparing to roll out a Jackson-Samuel-Michael Davis cornerback look. If Jackson needs more time, the Bolts would likely go with a Davis-Samuel-Taylor trio.
  • The Bolts are fairly set at receiver, with Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis‘ Fort Worth-to-Los Angeles treks giving the team five locks at the position. In addition to the TCU alums, Josh Palmer has made strides in his third training camp. This looked to put Jalen Guyton and John Hightower to a battle for the final spot, Popper adds. But both players are dealing with injuries. After a strong start to camp, Hightower — a 2020 Eagles draftee who has not caught a pass since his rookie year — suffered an injury and has not practiced in a week. Guyton, who suffered an ACL tear in Week 3 of last season, remains on the Bolts’ active/PUP list. Stashing the deep threat on the reserve/PUP list to start the season is looking likely, per Popper.
  • K’Waun Williams is expected to be the Broncos‘ slot corner for a second season, but an ankle injury has sidelined him for over a week. The veteran slot defender sought a second opinion on the injury recently, per 9News’ Mike Klis, who notes surgery is not on the docket at this point. A rest-and-rehab operation will be utilized to have Williams ready for Week 1, though this becomes a situation to monitor for a Broncos team that remains without third-round corner Riley Moss. Essang Bassey filled in for Williams as the top nickel in Denver’s preseason opener.
  • Davis Webb resides in the strange position of being a 28-year-old quarterbacks coach tasked with helping a decorated 34-year-old passer bounce back. But Russell Wilson‘s position coach has been on the coaching radar for a bit now, despite only retiring this year. After the Bills wanted him to be their QBs coach last year, Sean McDermott, Brian Daboll and Eli Manning endorsed Webb to Payton, Jori Epstein of Yahoo.com notes. Webb “blew away” Broncos brass in his interview, per GM George Paton. His final season — as a Giants third-stringer — involved scouting and coaching, Epstein adds, making this an easier transition than it would appear.

Broncos Add Davis Webb, Chris Banjo To Coaching Staff

FEBRUARY 26: Confirming that his playing days are officially over, Banjo tweeted on Sunday that he has retired. He acknowledged that his next NFL chapter is already well known, as was announced when the Broncos unveiled their full coaching staff. Banjo’s 33rd birthday will mark the turning point of his transition to the sidelines, where he will look to help a Denver special teams unit which ranked 29th in the league in DVOA last season.

FEBRUARY 23: On a day in which the Broncos have already made multiple noteworthy hires, the team has added a few more intriguing names to its staff. Denver is hiring a pair of NFLers who played in the 2022 season, allowing them to begin their respective coaching careers.

The Broncos are hiring Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The move represents a significant jump directly from the playing to coaching ranks, but not an unsurprising one, considering the 28-year-old’s stated intention of moving his career to the sidelines.

Webb nearly signed with the Bills as their QBs coach last offseason, one in which offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took the head coaching job with the Giants. Buffalo hired Joe Brady as their coach at that position, leaving Webb to follow Daboll to New York. He spent the 2022 season as a backup to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, getting one start in the season finale.

Webb has made it very clear he intended to immediately transition to coaching once his playing days ended. This posting will allow him to do that, while teaming with head coach Sean Payton and an intriguing signal-caller in Russell Wilson. The nine-time Pro Bowler struggled immensely in his first Broncos season, so his ability to rebound in 2023 will largely depend on Webb’s and Payton’s success coaching him.

In addition, the Broncos are giving veteran special teamer Chris Banjo a first look in the coaching ranks. The safety was released by the Cardinals earlier today, marking an end to his playing career but allowing him to once again work a few familiar faces. The 32-year-old is becoming an assistant special teams coach, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Banjo played in the NFL for 10 seasons, including time spent under Payton in New Orleans from 2016-18. The former UDFA most recently spent the past four seasons with the Cardinals, playing under new Broncos DC Vance Joseph. Overall, he carved out a role for himself as a core special teamer, racking up 143 tackles over 131 total games played. Now, he too will make an immediate jump from playing to coaching as he begins the next chapter of his football career.

In other coaching news out of the Mile High City, Denver has hired Greg Manusky as their new inside linebackers coach, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The 56-year-old was recently let go by the Vikings, but has landed in his next NFL home quite quickly. Manusky has 12 years of defensive coordinator experience across four teams, but this will be his first posting in Denver. He, along with Webb and Banjo, will look to help guide the Broncos to a resurgent season in 2023 as members of Payton’s first staff.

Giants Expected To Start QB Davis Webb In Week 18, Rest Starters

After choosing to promote quarterback Davis Webb from the practice squad as a standard gameday elevation, the Giants are reportedly expected to start Webb behind center, according to Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post. The announcement points to the likely possibility that, with nothing to play for, the Giants will rest critical starters and veterans as they head into the postseason locked into the NFC’s No. 6 seed.

The announcement that Webb was being elevated for the game led many to believe starters like quarterback Daniel Jones may be rested for part of the game, but the more recent report all but guarantees that belief. Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence, and likely several others should be expected to sit for most, if not all, of the matchup in Philadelphia tomorrow.

Webb has come full circle back to the team that drafted him in the third round back in 2017. Despite bouncing between the other New York franchises in New Jersey and Buffalo for the past four years and routinely finding time on the active rosters, Webb has never thrown a pass in an NFL regular season contest. His only NFL action came last year when he was brought in for Bills quarterback Josh Allen to take a knee in a blow-out win over the Jets. His first passes tomorrow will be his first in the pros.

There had been reports that the Dolphins had attempted to poach Webb off of the Giants practice squad to back up Skylar Thompson in Miami’s season finale against the Jets with Teddy Bridgewater questionable coming into the weekend, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. In the end, though, Webb made the decision to stay in New York and is expected to be rewarded for his decision with his first NFL start and his first NFL pass.

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/7/23

Today’s minor transactions heading into the final Sunday of the regular season:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Josh Ali

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/8/22

Here are the roster moves for today, leading into gameday tomorrow. Reminder that gameday elevations will revert to the practice squad after this weekend’s games:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

Latest On Giants QBs Daniel Jones, Tyrod Taylor

The Giants exited yesterday’s game against the Bears with a victory, but they used both of their dressed quarterbacks (and then some) in the contest. The prognosis on their starting signal-caller appears to be the source of some disagreement. 

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Daniel Jones is day-to-day with the ankle injury he suffered yesterday. He adds that there is optimism Jones will be available for New York’s Week 5 game against the Packers in London. Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post reports exactly the opposite, however (Twitter link). More tests will be needed during the week to make a final determination.

The 25-year-old has gotten off to a similar start in 2022 to the rest of his career in terms of completion percentage and QB rating. He has managed only a 3:2 touchdown-to-interception ratio, though, and has already taken 14 sacks. His passing totals have dropped with respect to both yards per attempt and per game, though he is averaging over 48 yards per contest on the ground.

Jones entered the 2022 campaign with plenty of question marks surrounding his future. After the Giants made the expected move of declining his fifth-year option, the Duke alum is scheduled to hit free agency at the end of the year. His first season under new head coach Brian Daboll has begun with an unexpected amount of team success, as the Giants are 3-1, though Jones himself has yet to make the substantive progress likely necessary to land a deal to stay in the Big Apple in March.

If Jones is unable to play on Sunday, the team’s QB situation could get complicated. Veteran backup Tyrod Taylor suffered a concussion not long after relieving Jones, leaving his Week 5 availability very much in doubt. New concussion protocols are expected to be in place by then, leading to the sense that teams around the league will be particularly cautious.

At a minimum, Davis Webb is likely to be elevated from the practice squad before the game. The 27-year-old made a single appearance with Daboll and the Bills last year, and could have remained in Buffalo as a QBs coach. Instead, he will receive plenty of attention this week, depending on the status of Jones’ ankle.

Wednesday NFL Transactions: NFC East

Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline Tuesday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters. In addition to waiver claims, teams can begin constructing their 16-man practice squads today. These CommandersCowboys, Eagles and Giants moves are noted below.

Here are Wednesday’s NFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Dallas Cowboys

Signed to practice squad:

New York Giants

Signed:

Released:

Claimed:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Philadelphia Eagles

Claimed: 

Waived:

Signed to practice squad:

Washington Commanders

Released:

Claimed:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Signed to practice squad:

Giants Move To 53-Man Limit

The Giants began working on their roster reductions Monday, but they finished off that effort by Tuesday’s deadline. Here is how GM Joe Schoen’s first round of cuts look:

Released:

Waived:

Webb, who chose the Giants over a possible path as the Bills’ quarterbacks coach, will likely be brought back on the practice squad. He would be positioned as the Giants’ de facto third-stringer, behind Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor. This is Webb’s second stint with the Giants, who initially drafted him in the 2017 third round.

New York’s cut list does not include Darius Slayton, despite rampant rumors about the former fifth-round pick being a departure candidate. The Giants would mean a $2.5MM cap-room boost, but it also would mean saying goodbye to a player who led Big Blue in receiving in 2019 and ’20. Observing Slayton’s place on Brian Daboll‘s first roster will still be interesting, but for now, the fourth-year pass catcher joins Sterling Shepard, Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and second-round rookie Wan’Dale Robinson on the 53-man roster.

The Giants’ safety cuts leave the team with three at the position. The team, which cut Logan Ryan earlier this offseason and let Jabrill Peppers walk in free agency, has Xavier McKinney, Julian Love and rookie Dane Belton. A fourth-round pick, Belton is also recovering from a broken collarbone sustained early in training camp. The Iowa product is not expected to be out too much longer. Still, it would not surprise if the Giants added help via waivers.