On Friday, the Denver Broncos addressed one of the coaching positions left in the wake of the firing of Michael Wilhoite.
Denver has hired former Auburn and Washington State defensive coordinator Jeff Schmedding as the inside linebackers coach.
Breaking: The Broncos are hiring Jeff Schmedding as their new ILB coach, per league source.
This is his first job in the NFL as he has a lot of experience in college, most recently as the DC of Washington State and before that Auburn. pic.twitter.com/ftk6RuUfUV
— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) March 22, 2025
This season will be Schmedding's first time coaching in the league. He has been a defensive-minded coach since his first position job as a safeties coach with Eastern Washington in 2007.
Schmedding was hired to be Auburn's linebackers coach in 2021 after two seasons as the defensive coordinator/linebackers coach at Ball State for two seasons. In the NFL, he got the most out of his key linebackers, Zakoby McClain and Chandler Wooten.
Within one year, he was promoted to defensive coordinator for the Tigers. He went to Washington State, where he would encounter two rough seasons for the Cougars.
Schmedding will attempt to rebound from the last three seasons as defensive coordinator by creating a productive and alert inside linebacker group.
Among the Broncos' most significant defensive additions this offseason is former San Francisco 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw. He only played in two games last season while attempting to fully recover from a torn Achilles he suffered in 2023.
The other projected starter at inside linebacker is Alex Singleton, who started three games for Denver last season before rupturing his ACL. Drew Sanders is a starting-caliber inside linebacker who missed all but four games recovering from a torn Achilles.
Schmedding will have a deep and talented group to utilize with the other backup, Justin Strand. He accumulated 73 total tackles and eight tackles for loss in 17 games and eight starts filling in for injured players.
The Broncos will rely on Schmedding's coaching experience and knowledge of the linebacker corps to create a solid run defense.
Related: Broncos Select 2,200 Yard Receiver in Latest Mock Draft
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This story was originally published March 22, 2025 at 3:00 PM.
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