By Jheri Hardaway
Staff Writer
Despite 10 head coaching vacancies this year, no Black head coaches were hired. The only person of color hired for a head coaching role during this 2026 cycle was Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent and was hired by the Tennessee Titans.
We checked in with NFL Network commentator and former Assistant GM Marc Ross for his perspective, “Painfully disappointing. All the initiatives over the years have proven to have no effect. Plenty of quality candidates but they just are not prioritized while white candidates even with little experience are given benefits. Bottom line you can't make the 32 owners do something they don't want to do.”
With the recent departure of legendary coach Mike Tomlin, who stepped down from the Steelers after 19 seasons, and the firing of Raheem Morris (Falcons) and Mike McDaniel (Dolphins), the number of Black head coaches in the league has dropped to just three: DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans), Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Aaron Glenn (New York Jets).
