Isaac Shewmaker enters his fourth season with the Denver Broncos and first as outside linebackers coach in 2026. He was hired by the club on March 25, 2023.
As linebackers coach in 2025, Shewmaker helped Denver's defense remain one of the top units in the league, ranking first with a franchise record 68 sacks, first in red zone defense (42.6), second in total defense (278.2), third down defense (33.8) and rush defense (91.1) and third in points (18.3). The Broncos also did not allow a touchdown to opposing offenses in a league-high five games—which tied a franchise record—while not letting opponents reach 20 points on 10 different occasions.
Outside linebacker Nik Bonitto set a new career high with 14 sacks on the season—the fifth most in the NFL and most by a Bronco since 2018—on his way to his second career Pro Bowl nod and being named a finalist for Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year. Outside linebacker Jonathon Cooper reached eight sacks for the second straight year, while outside linebacker Dondrea Tillman finished the year with four sacks in addition to a team-high-tying two interceptions.
With Shewmaker's assistance, the Broncos also produced their 16th division title in team history and their first appearance in the AFC Championship game since the 2015 season.
Prior to serving as linebackers coach, Shewmaker spent two seasons as a defensive quality control coach for the Broncos, helping Denver record 105 sacks, which was the second most among all NFL teams in that span. Denver also tallied the third-most quarterback knockdowns (219) and seventh-most quarterback hurries (344) since 2023.
Denver's pass rush posted one of the best seasons in team history during the 2024 season with the help of Shewmaker, totaling a new franchise record 63 quarterback sacks in 17 games. Additionally, outside linebackers Nik Bonitto and Jonathon Cooper posted career years, with both players hitting the double-digit sack mark and Bonitto being named an All-Pro and Pro Bowler for the first time.
In Shewmaker's first season in Denver in 2023, the Broncos recorded 42 sacks, with 22 of them coming from outside linebackers. Shewmaker assisted in overseeing the outside linebacking unit that included Cooper (8.5) and Bonitto (8.0), who paced the Broncos in quarterback takedowns.
Shewmaker, who has 10 cumulative years of coaching experience, spent the previous two seasons before joining Denver with the L.A. Chargers as a defensive quality control coach. While with the Chargers, Shewmaker helped the defensive coaching staff transition to a 3-4 base front scheme while focusing primarily on the secondary (2021) and inside/outside linebackers (2022).
In Shewmaker's two seasons with the Chargers, the club posted the third-most forced fumbles (32) and third-fewest completions against (667) while ranking seventh in completion percentage against (62.7) and ninth in passing yards allowed per game (210.8). While on staff, Shewmaker helped safety Derwin James earn Associated Press second-team All-Pro honors (2022) and Pro Bowl nods in 2021 and '22.
In 2022, the Chargers' defense ranked seventh in passing defense (200.4 ypg) while allowing 300 passing yards or fewer in 16 of 17 games played. The club also allowed the second-fewest completions (310), seventh-lowest completion percentage (61.4) and the eighth-fewest passing first downs (175) in the league.
Prior to entering the NFL, Shewmaker spent five years at the collegiate level, most recently with the University of Tennessee in 2020 as a defensive graduate assistant. He began his coaching career at the University of Alabama, serving as a defensive analyst (2019) and defensive assistant (2016-18) for the Crimson Tide.
While in Tuscaloosa, Shewmaker was part of a coaching staff that helped lead the team to a 52-5 (.912) regular-season record from 2016-19 and three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances (2016-18). The Crimson Tide captured the 2018 CFP National Championship after defeating University of Georgia, 26-23. He began his coaching career as a student defensive assistant at the University of Kentucky in 2015.
A native of Lexington, Ky., Isaac Shewmaker graduated from Alabama in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in education.
