Davis Matthew Webb (born January 22, 1995) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who is the quarterbacks coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played his first three seasons of college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and then the California Golden Bears, before being selected by the New York Giants in the third round of the 2017 NFL draft. In his seven seasons in the NFL, he was a member of all three franchises representing cities in New York, spending the most time with the Buffalo Bills.

Davis Webb
refer to caption
Webb with Texas Tech in 2014
Denver Broncos
Position:Quarterbacks coach
Personal information
Born: (1995-01-22) January 22, 1995 (age 29)
Prosper, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight:225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
High school:Prosper
College:
NFL draft:2017 / round: 3 / pick: 87
Career history
As a player:
As a coach:
Career NFL statistics
Passing completions:23
Passing attempts:40
Passing yards:168
Completion percentage:57.5%
TDINT:1–0
Passer rating:75.8
Rushing yards:38
Rushing touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Webb attended Keller High School before transferring to Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas. While at Prosper High School, Webb guided the team to a district championship and a trip to the Texas 4A regional semifinals.[1]

Webb earned several accolades and was named first-team All-District as a junior and honorable mention All-State. Webb graduated from Prosper after passing for 2,658 yards, 589 yards rushing, and 36 touchdowns.[1]

College career

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Texas Tech

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2013

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Webb was ranked a 4-star prospect coming out of high school by ESPN and signed with Texas Tech University to play for the Red Raiders. Webb alternated as a backup quarterback behind fellow freshman Baker Mayfield, and as a starter, during his freshman year in 2013. Webb became only the second true freshman at the position to play for the school. Webb had been afflicted by an undetermined illness.[2]

Webb made his first game appearance in the contest against TCU, where he threw the game-winning touchdown to wide receiver Bradley Marquez. Following an injury to Mayfield, Webb made his first career start in an appearance against Iowa State, which saw him pass for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns. His performance marked the fourth most yards passing for first time starter in school history.

He followed up his Iowa State performance with a record-setting performance against West Virginia. Webb passed for 462 yards, 36–50 attempts, and two touchdowns, making Webb the first quarterback in school history to pass for over 400 yards twice in his freshman season. Additionally, the yardage broke the school freshman passing record previously held by Billy Joe Tolliver. The passing yardage also set a Big 12 Conference freshman passing record, beating the mark set by Baylor's Nick Florence in 2009.[1]

The game against Oklahoma State saw Webb complete 45 passes on 71 attempts for 425 yards. The number of completions and attempts ranked fourth overall, and second overall behind Texas Tech quarterback Graham Harrell.[1]

Webb struggled in an outing against Kansas State, and did not play in the second half. However, his 78 yards thrown pushed him over the previous record for the school single season freshman passing yards previously held by Zebbie Lethridge in 1994. After Webb's poor performance against Kansas State, Mayfield returned to the starting role for the next two games against Baylor and Texas.

It was announced during the preparations for the 2013 Holiday Bowl, that Mayfield was going to be transferring from the school following a "miscommunication" and the open competition for the starting position.[3] The departure of Mayfield ensured that the only competition for the starting job for the Holiday Bowl was going to be Michael Brewer.

Webb was named the starter for the Holiday Bowl against a top 15 Arizona State team, after the month of bowl practice. Webb provided one of the most impressive performances of the 2013–14 NCAA football bowl season. He finished the game with 403 yards, 28–41 passing and four touchdowns in the 37–23 upset, tying a Holiday Bowl touchdown record and earning MVP honors.[4]

Webb concluded his freshman season with several Big 12 Conference freshman records: single game total offense, single game offensive plays, most 400 yard passing performances, passing yards in a single game, passing attempts in a single game, passes completed in a single game. His performance also marked school freshman records for completions, attempts, touchdowns, passing yards, and 400 yard games. Webb was named honorable mention Freshman All-American by College Football News, Big 12 Broadcasters Conference Freshman of the Year, and he received several weekly honors.[5][6]

2014

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Webb was named the starting quarterback at the start of the 2014 season, following the transfer of fellow quarterback Michael Brewer to Virginia Tech.[7] Both Webb and the team as a whole were named dark horse candidates for the Heisman Trophy and the national championship respectively by ESPN.[8][9] Webb was named to the Maxwell Award and Manning Award watchlists for the best quarterback in college football. Webb started the first eight games of the season before suffering a season-ending ankle injury in a game against TCU on October 25, 2014. He was replaced by true freshman Patrick Mahomes. It was revealed later that Webb was going to undergo surgery on his shoulder, which he injured originally on September 25 in a game against Oklahoma State.[10][11][12]

2015

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Webb was the backup quarterback in 2015, to Patrick Mahomes, who retained possession of the starting quarterback job. On December 30, 2015, Webb announced his intention to transfer from Texas Tech.[13]

California

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Webb announced his intention to transfer to the University of Colorado Boulder, on January 27, 2016. Webb still was enrolled at Texas Tech and, he was nine credit hours short of finishing his degree requirements, at the time of the announcement. Webb planned to be in Colorado for the first summer session, after finishing his degree requirements and graduating from Texas Tech.[14] Webb revealed in late May that he was going to be transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, instead of Colorado.[15] California Golden Bears head coach Sonny Dykes announced on May 25, 2016, that Webb had signed a financial aid agreement and that he was enrolled officially. He was eligible to play immediately as a graduate transfer.[16]

Webb completed 382 of 620 passes (62%) for 4295 yards, 37 touchdowns and 12 interceptions for a 135.63 QBR, in one season at California. He set school single-season records for passing attempts, completions and total plays while tying three other school records, including total touchdowns [43 (37 passing, 6 rushing)], and 300-yard passing games (10). He was named the Golden Bears' Season MVP and won the Reese's Senior Bowl MVP award in 2016. Webb was also nominated to the College Football All-America Team, and was a semi-finalist for both the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award and the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, as well as an honorable mention All-Pac-12 Conference choice of the league's coaches and the Pac-12 Newcomer of the Year. Webb was also in the final 15 for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.[17]

College statistics

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Season School GP Passing
Cmp Att Pct Yds TD Int Rtg
2013 Texas Tech 10 226 361 62.6 2,718 20 9 139.1
2014 8 211 345 61.2 2,539 24 13 138.4
2015 5 22 41 53.7 300 2 0 131.2
2016 California 12 382 620 61.6 4,295 37 12 135.6
Totals[18] 35 841 1,367 61.5 9,852 83 34 137.1

Professional career

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Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Wonderlic
6 ft 4+58 in
(1.95 m)
229 lb
(104 kg)
33+18 in
(0.84 m)
9+14 in
(0.23 m)
4.79 s 1.57 s 2.80 s 4.21 s 6.92 s 33.0 in
(0.84 m)
9 ft 10 in
(3.00 m)
25[19]
All values from NFL Combine[20][21]

New York Giants (first stint)

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The New York Giants selected Webb in the third round (87th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft.[22] He was the fifth quarterback selected in 2017.[23] On May 11, 2017, the Giants signed Webb to a four-year, $3.53 million contract that included a signing bonus of $766,420.[24]

On November 28, 2017, head coach Ben McAdoo announced that Geno Smith would replace Eli Manning as the starting quarterback and that Webb would also see playing time before the end of the season.[25] McAdoo was later fired, along with Jerry Reese, the general manager who drafted Webb. Interim head coach Steve Spagnuolo admitted that it was likely Manning would remain the starter for the rest of season.[26]

During the 2017 season, Webb drew praise from teammates Landon Collins and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. Rodgers-Cromartie remarked that Webb looked like a "Young Eli", while Collins said that the future front office should not draft a quarterback in the next draft, assuring them that "Davis is gonna be really good in the league when it’s his time".[27] Three other teammates, Travis Rudolph, Kalif Raymond and Marquis Bundy, also had positive comments about Webb, with Rudolph saying Webb has the highly sought-after 'it' factor.[28] Manning nicknamed him the "Dragon".[29]

During Week 16 of the 2017 season, it was revealed that Spagnuolo had Webb take snaps with the first-team in practice that week, for the first time that season.[30] Despite this, Webb was inactive for the Week 16 game against the Arizona Cardinals.[31] He was promoted to second-string for the final game of the season.[32]

On September 2, 2018, Webb was waived by the Giants.[33][34]

New York Jets

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On September 4, 2018, Webb was signed to the practice squad of the New York Jets.[35] He was promoted to the active roster on November 10, 2018, to serve as the backup to Josh McCown following an injury to rookie starter Sam Darnold.[36] Webb was released as part of final roster cuts on August 31, 2019, having not seen any action in his year with the team.[37]

Buffalo Bills

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Webb was signed to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad on September 2, 2019.[38] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Bills on January 6, 2020.[39]

Webb was waived by the Bills on September 5, 2020, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[40][41] He was elevated to the active roster on December 28 for the team's Week 16 game against the New England Patriots, then reverted to the practice squad after the game.[42] On January 26, 2021, Webb signed a reserves/futures contract with the Bills.[43]

On August 31, 2021, Webb was again waived by the Bills, and re-signed to the practice squad a day later. On November 14, 2021, more than two years after first signing with the Bills, Webb made his NFL debut, against the Jets during garbage time.[44][45] His contract expired when the team's season ended on January 23, 2022.

New York Giants (second stint)

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On February 7, 2022, the Giants signed Webb to a reserve/futures contract.[46] He was waived on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[47] On October 8, 2022, Webb was elevated from the practice squad for the Week 5 game against the Green Bay Packers.[48] With the Giants choosing to rest starter Daniel Jones for the playoffs, Webb was promoted to the active roster for the team's Week 18 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.[49] This was Webb's first career NFL start, over five years after he was drafted.[50][51] In his first and only career start, he completed 23 of 40 attempts for 168 yards, throwing one touchdown and rushing for another, the only touchdowns of his playing career. The Giants lost the game 16–22. Webb's practice squad contract with the team expired after the season ended on January 21, 2023.

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Passing Rushing Sacks Fumbles
GP GS Record Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD Sck SckY Fum Lost
2021 BUF 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 2 -3 -1.5 0 0 0 0 0
2022 NYG 1 1 0−1 23 40 57.5 168 4.2 1 0 75.8 6 41 6.8 1 0 0 0 0
Career 2 1 0−1 23 40 57.5 168 4.2 1 0 75.8 8 38 4.8 1 0 0 0 0

Coaching career

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On February 23, 2023, Webb was hired by the Denver Broncos as their quarterbacks coach under head coach Sean Payton.[52] Webb had expressed interest in transitioning to coaching duties, having been previously asked by the Bills to be their quarterbacks coach.[53]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Davis Webb Bio". Texas Tech University. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  2. ^ Trotter, Jake (April 3, 2014). "Texas Tech QB Webb building off bowl". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  3. ^ Trotter, Jake (January 9, 2014). "Q&A: Ex-Texas Tech QB Baker Mayfield". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  4. ^ Ellis, Zac. "Pass-happy Texas Tech rips Arizona State, 37–23, in Holiday Bowl". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on January 26, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  5. ^ Cirminiello, Rich. "2013 CFN All-Freshman Team". CollegeFootballNews.com. Archived from the original on February 28, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  6. ^ Allen, Robert. "Broadcasters All-Big 12 Team". Scout.com. Archived from the original on April 9, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  7. ^ Magelssen, Tommy (April 4, 2014). "Davis Webb dubbed 'Lone Survivor' from Texas Tech QB race, ready to become 'best quarterback in Big 12'". Dallas Morning-News. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  8. ^ Haney, Travis (April 3, 2014). "Sleeper national title contenders for 2014". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  9. ^ Chatmon, Brandon (January 17, 2014). "Petty leads Big 12's Heisman contenders". ESPN. Retrieved April 8, 2014.
  10. ^ Cooper, Sam (December 1, 2014). "Texas Tech QB Davis Webb to undergo shoulder surgery". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  11. ^ Olson, Max (December 30, 2015). "QB Davis Webb to seek graduate transfer after Texas Tech release". ESPN. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  12. ^ Mazique, Brian (November 29, 2014). "Davis Webb Injury: Updates on Texas Tech QB's Shoulder and Recovery". Bleacher Report. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  13. ^ Watson, Graham (December 30, 2015). "QB Davis Webb announces transfer from Texas Tech". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved December 31, 2015.
  14. ^ Feldman, Bruce (January 27, 2016). "Texas Tech transfer quarterback Davis Webb commits to Colorado". FOXSports.com. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
  15. ^ Haney, Travis; Trotter, Jake (May 19, 2016). "Former Texas Tech QB Davis Webb transfers to Cal over Colorado". ESPN.com. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  16. ^ Letourneau, Connor (May 25, 2016). "Texas Tech transfer Davis Webb enrolls at Cal". SFGate. Retrieved June 18, 2016.
  17. ^ "Davis Webb". CalBears.com. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  18. ^ "Davis Webb College Stats".
  19. ^ McGinn, Bob (April 22, 2017). "Ranking the NFL draft prospects: Quarterbacks". PackersNews.com. Archived from the original on June 16, 2018. Retrieved June 16, 2018.
  20. ^ "Davis Webb Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  21. ^ "2017 Draft Scout Davis Webb, California NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  22. ^ Orr, Conor. "New York Giants select Davis Webb in third round". NFL.com. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  23. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  24. ^ "Spotrac.com: Davis Webb contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved December 18, 2017.
  25. ^ Eisen, Michael (November 28, 2017). "Geno Smith to start at quarterback on Sunday". giants.com. Archived from the original on November 28, 2017. Retrieved November 28, 2017.
  26. ^ "Everything Steve Spagnuolo said about Eli Manning, Davis Webb, Giants' baffling QB situation". December 12, 2017.
  27. ^ "Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: Davis Webb is "a young Eli"". December 21, 2017.
  28. ^ "Giants teammates who know Davis Webb best say he has 'it' factor". December 23, 2017.
  29. ^ "Time for the Giants to start Davis Webb and throw this 'Dragon' into the fire". New York Daily News.
  30. ^ "Rookie QB Davis Webb sees increased snaps at practice".
  31. ^ "Davis Webb will apparently be inactive again vs. Arizona". December 22, 2017.
  32. ^ Smith, Michael David (December 27, 2017). "Giants promote Davis Webb to second-string quarterback". profootballtalk.nbcsports.com. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  33. ^ Shook, Nick (September 2, 2018). "Giants waive former third-round pick Davis Webb". NFL.com. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  34. ^ Raanan, Jordan (September 2, 2018). "Giants waive QB Davis Webb, claim NFL-high six players off waivers". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  35. ^ Lange, Randy (September 4, 2018). "Jets Sign QB Davis Webb to Their Practice Squad". NewYorkJets.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2023. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  36. ^ Allen, Eric; Greenberg, Ethan (November 10, 2018). "Jets Promote QB Davis Webb to Active Roster, Place TE Neal Sterling on IR". NewYorkJets.com.
  37. ^ Stypulkoski, Matt (August 31, 2019). "Davis Webb cut by Jets, just 1 year after getting axed by Giants | What's next for 3rd-round flameout?". nj.com. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  38. ^ "Report: Bills adding QB Davis Webb to practice squad". Bills Wire. September 2, 2019. Retrieved September 2, 2019.
  39. ^ Brown, Chris (January 6, 2020). "Bills sign 10 reserve/future free agents". BuffaloBills.com.
  40. ^ Brown, Chris (September 5, 2020). "Bills announce these moves to get to the 53-man roster limit". BuffaloBills.com.
  41. ^ "Bills announce the initial 2020 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 6, 2020.
  42. ^ "Bills activate John Brown and place him on Reserve\COVID-19 list". BuffaloBills.com. December 28, 2020. Retrieved February 9, 2021.
  43. ^ "Bills signed these 13 players to reserve\future contracts". www.buffalobills.com. January 26, 2021. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  44. ^ "Bills release 23 players to set the initial 2021 53-man roster". BuffaloBills.com. August 31, 2021.
  45. ^ "Bills sign 15 players to the 2021 practice squad". BuffaloBills.com. September 1, 2021.
  46. ^ Hickey, Kevin (February 7, 2022). "Giants sign QB Davis Webb, P Jamie Gillan to futures contracts". Giantswire.com.
  47. ^ Eisen, Michael (August 31, 2022). "Giants sign 15 players to practice squad; 1 spot remains". Giants.com.
  48. ^ "Giants activate QB Davis Webb among roster moves". Giants.com. October 8, 2022.
  49. ^ "Report: Davis Webb to start at quarterback for Giants vs. Eagles". nbcsports.com. January 8, 2023. Retrieved January 24, 2024.
  50. ^ Alper, Josh (January 7, 2023). "Giants call up Davis Webb with Daniel Jones potentially resting Sunday". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 7, 2023.
  51. ^ Smith, Michael David (January 8, 2023). "Report: Davis Webb to start at quarterback for Giants vs. Eagles". ProFootballTalk. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  52. ^ Fennelly, John. "Broncos to hire ex-Giant Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach". Yahoo Sports. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  53. ^ Wojton, Nick (January 27, 2023). "Report: Former Bills QB Davis Webb considering coaching options". Bills Wire. USA Today. Retrieved February 25, 2023.
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