Every year, the Fritz Pollard Alliance furnishes a list of recommended minority candidates for NFL executive, coaching, and scouting jobs. This year's list of coaching recommendations has come out, and it is the most extensive in years, with 11 names appearing on it.
Last year's list featured six names, with Cardinals coach Steve Wilks being the only one who was eventually hired. Three of this year's candidates (denoted with asterisks below) appeared last year as well, in addition to Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin and Bills wide receivers coach Terry Robiskie.
The list is as follows, per USA Today:
- Patriots defensive coordinator Brian Flores
- Cowboys defensive backs coach and passing game coordinator Kris Richard*
- Eagles assistant head coach and running backs coach Duce Staley
- Vikings defensive coordinator George Edwards*
- Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy
- Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong
- Falcons assistant head coach and wide receivers coach Raheem Morris
- Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier
- Former Bengals defensive coordinator Teryl Austin*
- Bengals special assistant to the head coach Hue Jackson
- Former Lions and Colts head coach Jim Caldwell
Flores was elevated to defensive coordinator by the Patriots this year after serving in several roles with the Pats since 2004. Richard was previously the secondary coach and then defensive coordinator of the Seahawks, and he has been credited with helping turn the Cowboys' defense into one of the best in the NFL this season. Staley has been considered a coaching prospect for a while. Mike Zimmer runs the Vikings' defense but Edwards was a dark-horse coaching candidate last offseason and is having another strong year with one of the best defenses in the league. Bieniemy is Kansas City's former running backs coach and was elevated to offensive coordinator this year after Matt Nagy left to become the head coach of the Bears. Armstrong has been the Falcons' special teams coordinator since 2008 and previously served in the same role with both the Dolphins and Bears. Austin was a head coaching candidate a few years back when he was the coordinator of the fantastic, Ndamukong Suh-led Detroit Lions defense.
Morris, Frazier, Jackson, and Caldwell have all previously been head coaches. Morris led the Buccaneers from 2009 through 2011, compiling a 17-31 record. Frazier coached the Vikings from 2010 through 2013 and amassed a 21-32-1 record. Caldwell coached the Colts from 2009 through 2011 and Lions from 2014 through 2017 and has a 62-50 lifetime coaching record. Jackson went 8-8 with the Raiders back in 2011 and famously went 3-36-1 with the Brows before being fired earlier this year and landing with the Bengals as a special assistant shortly after.
