Opinion: Latest NFL coaching hiring cycle reflects shift in trends, but diversity remains a problem
This year’s NFL coach hiring cycle is winding down as four of the five teams have filled their vacancies.
The Washington Redskins hired Ron Rivera. The Dallas Cowboys brought on Mike McCarthy. The Carolina Panthers nabbed Matt Rhule. And the New York Giants signed Joe Judge. Only the Cleveland Browns remain without a coach, and they could wrap things up by the weekend.
Here are some observations and thoughts on this year’s hires.
Last year’s flavor is out
NFL coaching hires often follow trends. Last year, everyone wanted to find the next Sean McVay: That fresh-faced candidate who made up for a lack of extensive experience with charisma and innovative offensive concepts. The Packers, Bengals and Cardinals tabbed Matt LaFleur, Zac Taylor and Kliff Kingsbury, respectively, to lead their teams.
But just as quickly as that trend began, it seemingly has ended. Perhaps the Rams missing the playoffs and Kingsbury's and Taylor's teams going a combined 7-24-1 prompted NFL decision-makers to pump the brakes. San Francisco assistants Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur, Matt's younger brother, both fit the mold but did not land head coaching gigs. Instead, franchises opted for more experience.
Retreads with tall tasks
Looking to restore their franchises to their former glory, NFC East rival owners Jerry Jones and Dan Snyder both opted for seasoned veteran coaches with track records of roster development and leadership.
Interestingly, both McCarthy and Rivera also have opted for experience on their staffs, tabbing high-profile former head coaches — Mike Nolan in Dallas and Jack Del Rio in Washington — to be their top assistants.
The Cowboys haven’t won a Super Bowl since the 1995 season and since then have won only five divisional titles. Washington’s drought is even worse: The Redskins’ last Super Bowl came in the 1991 campaign, and only three division crowns have followed.
In both cases, the move for experience and proven leadership makes sense.
McCarthy seems to have the better chance of the two for a turnaround. Dallas at least has a playoff-ready roster despite going 8-8 and missing the postseason this season. McCarthy has his franchise quarterback in Dak Prescott, feature running back with Ezekiel Elliott and talented offensive and defensive fronts in place. He just has to help refine and put them over the top.
Rivera, meanwhile, must not only develop a young roster in construction mode, but he also must change the toxic culture at Redskins Park. In a rare move, Snyder is giving his head coach ultimate power. To complete this task, Rivera will need it.
Going outside the box
The Panthers gave Rhule a seven-year, $60 million contract to jump from Baylor to the NFL despite his 47-43 career regular-season record and 1-3 bowl mark. Meanwhile, the Giants made a rare move by tabbing Judge, who has worked with New England’s special teams units the last seven seasons and has no prior head coaching experience.
Rhule made the leap for a contract that, in both length and pay, tops those of many veteran coaches. The Raiders gave Jon Gruden a 10-year, $100 million deal, which was a record for a head coach. Kyle Shanahan received a six-year deal from the 49ers, who understood he would need time to work with a rebuilding roster. But many head coaches typically get four- or five-year deals.
David Tepper, who in 2018 purchased the Panthers for $2.275 billion, has said he wants to run his team in a very forward-thinking way, and he’s certainly advancing the way coaches are paid.
Rhule has a track record of rebuilding college programs. Temple rose from 2-10 to consecutive 10-win campaigns during his tenure, and Baylor grew from a one-win team in his first season to 11-3 two years later.
Tepper hopes that Rhule — known for his energy, creativity and development of young men — can do the same for a Panthers team that went a combined 12-20 and missed the postseason the last two seasons.
It will be interesting to see if Judge’s hiring opens doors for other special teams coordinators, who are often overlooked. A special teams coordinator, however, has to evaluate both offensive and defensive talent and figure out how to plug players into his systems, alter game plans on a given week just like a head coach does. Judge appealed to the Giants in part because Bill Belichick has long praised him for his organizational, communication and leadership skills.
Diversity problem remains
All of the above hires might pan out. But another coaching cycle brought renewed frustrations for minorities with head coaching aspirations.
Rivera was an exception. And until the Browns make their hire, all hope is not lost for Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bienimey, who also interviewed with the Giants and Panthers, or 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who is of Lebanese descent. But optimism among would-be candidates is at an all-time low, minority coaches and agents told Paste BN Sports, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the subject.
A number of highly qualified, longtime assistants of color didn’t even receive interview invitations.
The head coaching hopefuls struggle to understand the ever-changing standard that blocks their advancement. Last year, these coaches heard that they didn’t appeal to teams because they weren't young, offensive-minded types. In previous years, they’ve been denied because they lacked hands-on work with quarterbacks or experience as offensive or defensive coordinators. This year, a lack of head coaching experience seems to have eliminated many minority candidates.
The Rooney Rule was designed with the hope that if teams considered a wider talent pool, diversity in the head coaching ranks would increase. But it’s been 17 years with no signs of progress. This year’s hiring cycle didn’t even feature a healthy slate of new minority interview prospects.
Some of the few who have received interview opportunities in recent years haven’t found those intentions to be genuine. Sadly, the Rooney Rule has essentially become the "Token Negro Rule," according to many NFL assistant coaches.
Part of the NFL’s problem is the fact that a rule isn’t going to change minds and hearts. Above all else, coaching is about leadership, but owners have a narrow-minded, and perhaps lazy, view of what leadership looks like and where it can come from.
If they are to enact an act, NFL owners have to truly care about diversity and equal opportunities. They must want to break from the old school belief that minority candidates lack adequate leadership skills. And they have to dig deeper when searching for candidates.
Last year, I wrote about the problem with the minority coaching pipeline and the limited number of people of color holding offensive and defensive coordinator positions.
But as the Giants and Panthers showed this year, and the Packers, Bengals and Cardinals showed last year, teams are indeed willing to go with unconventional hires. The NFL’s assistants of color just wonder when that expanded thinking will finally include them.
Follow Paste BN Sports’ Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones and listen to the Football Jones podcast on iTunes.
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