Two weeks ago, when the Broncos and head coach Sean Payton announced a series of title changes and updates to the Broncos’ 2025 coaching staff, a noticeable hole still remained at linebacker — with quality-control coach Isaac Shewmaker temporarily covering two jobs in one.
On Friday, though, the Broncos continued to stabilize a staff that’s seen plenty of turnover this offseason. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to The Denver Post that the Broncos are hiring longtime collegiate coordinator Jeff Schmedding as the club’s inside linebackers coach.
Schmedding most recently spent two seasons as Washington State’s defensive coordinator and linebackers coach. He was fired in early December after the Cougars finished in the bottom half of FBS teams in opponent points per game in 2024-25. He brings a swath of experience as a collegiate defensive mind, though, having served as the defensive coordinator for three FBS programs after beginning his career working his way up at FCS program Eastern Washington.
Schmedding’s first stint at the FBS level came with Boise State from 2019-20, coaching a pair of pressure-heavy defenses. He then spent two years at Auburn, one as the Tigers’ linebackers coach and one as the program’s defensive coordinator, before his hire at Washington State.
It’s a continued push by Payton and the Broncos into the collegiate ranks, as Denver hired former Tennessee coach Brian Niedermeyer in a defensive quality-control role in early March. The Broncos role will be Schmedding’s first NFL experience.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport first reported the news.
Schmedding will replace former inside linebackers coach Greg Manusky, who was fired in January. The hire seems to solidify Denver’s staff at linebacker, after OLBs coach Michael Wilhoite was fired following allegations of assaulting a police officer at Denver International Airport in February.
With Schmedding’s hire, Shewmaker could now focus specifically on outside linebackers as Wilhoite’s replacement. He worked with Denver’s outside linebackers in 2024, when he served as a defensive quality-control coach.
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