When the 2026 NFL season kicked off, the number of Black NFL head coaches had dropped to three. Mike Tomlin, the league’s longest-tenured Black head coach, stepped down in Pittsburgh on Jan. 13, 2026 after 19 seasons and now works as an analyst on NBC’s Football Night in America. Atlanta fired Raheem Morris along with GM Terry Fontenot in January, and Morris is now the 49ers defensive coordinator.

Ten teams changed head coaches this offseason, according to the 2026 NFL season record, and none of those jobs went to a Black candidate. Here is who holds the top jobs now, how their teams have started, what is happening with the Rooney Rule, and which coordinators could be next.

A note on timing: this article publishes Oct. 16, during Week 6. Records below are the latest we could verify, through Week 3 as of Sept. 29, 2026. For the current picture, check the standings on NFL.com.

Black NFL head coaches in 2026

These three are the only Black head coaches among the 32 teams, per the league’s list of minority head coaches entering 2026.

DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans

Ryans has been the most consistent winner of the group. He went 10-7, 10-7 and 12-5 in his first three seasons, and last January his Texans won the first road playoff game in franchise history, 30-6 at Pittsburgh, before losing in the divisional round to New England.

2026 has been rough. Houston opened 0-3, losing 36-31 to Buffalo, 20-6 to Cincinnati and 19-17 at Indianapolis, with two of those losses by one score. Their October slate on the Texans schedule: Dallas at home Oct. 4, a trip to Tennessee Oct. 11, and a game against the Jaguars (Jacksonville is the designated home team) at Wembley Stadium in London on Oct. 18.

Todd Bowles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bowles became the first coach in Buccaneers history to win the NFC South in each of his first three seasons (2022 to 2024). He signed a multi-year extension in June 2025, then went 8-9 that season and missed the playoffs.

Tampa Bay is also 0-3, with losses to the Bengals, Browns and Vikings by six, four and seven points. The October slate: Green Bay at home Oct. 4, a Thursday night trip to Dallas Oct. 8, and Pittsburgh at home Oct. 18.

Aaron Glenn, New York Jets

Glenn’s first year was a hard one. The Jets finished 3-14 in 2025, and Glenn replaced both coordinators, hiring Frank Reich to run the offense and Brian Duker for the defense.

The early results have been competitive. New York beat Tennessee 23-10 in Week 1, then lost 20-17 in overtime to Green Bay and 31-24 at Detroit. The October slate: at Chicago Oct. 4, Cleveland at home Oct. 11, and at New England Oct. 18.

The scoreboard (screenshot this)

All three records come from Pro Football Reference’s 2026 coaches page, current through Week 3. We will not guess at results that had not happened when we reported this story.

Black general managers in 2026

The front office count also dipped. Fontenot was fired in Atlanta, Chris Grier is out in Miami, and Minnesota fired Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and later hired Nolan Teasley. One Black executive moved up: the Falcons hired Ian Cunningham as GM on Jan. 29.

• Brad Holmes, Detroit Lions: The architect of Detroit’s turnaround. Lions were 2-1 through Week 3.
• Andrew Berry, Cleveland Browns: Hired new head coach Todd Monken this offseason. Browns were 2-1.
• Ryan Poles, Chicago Bears: Paired with second-year coach Ben Johnson. Bears were 2-1.
• Ian Cunningham, Atlanta Falcons: Works with new coach Kevin Stefanski and president of football operations Matt Ryan. Falcons were 1-2.

Where the Rooney Rule stands

Adopted in 2003, the Rooney Rule requires teams to interview at least two external minority candidates for head coach and GM openings and for coordinator jobs, plus one for quarterback coach. Women count toward the requirement for many roles.

The rule came under pressure this spring. On March 27, 2026, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier demanded the NFL stop enforcing it. Four days later, at the league meeting in Phoenix, Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is keeping it, adding, “The Rooney Rule is not a hiring mandate.”

There was also a fight over the rule’s draft-pick reward. Teams that develop a minority candidate who becomes another club’s GM or head coach can earn compensatory picks, but the league denied Chicago picks for Cunningham because Atlanta named Ryan, not Cunningham, its primary football executive. As of our reporting, no new changes to the rule had been announced. Watch for updates at the league’s fall and spring meetings.

Coordinators to watch as next-up candidates

Hiring season opens after the regular season ends in January. These Black coordinators run key units and are names worth knowing:

• Vance Joseph, Broncos DC: Named PFWA Assistant Coach of the Year in January 2026 and a former Denver head coach.
• Aden Durde, Seahawks DC: Won Super Bowl LX in February, 29-13 over New England.
• Brian Flores, Vikings DC: Former Dolphins head coach, extended by Minnesota this year.
• Eric Bieniemy, Chiefs OC: Back in Kansas City with Andy Reid, his partner for two Super Bowl titles.
• Anthony Weaver, Ravens DC: Returned to Baltimore under new coach Jesse Minter after interviewing for head jobs before.
• Raheem Morris, 49ers DC: A two-time former head coach back with Kyle Shanahan.

How to follow along

• Check standings every Tuesday on NFL.com after Monday Night Football.
• Circle Oct. 18: the Texans play in London, the Bucs host Pittsburgh and the Jets visit New England.
• Follow the quarterbacks too. Our Black quarterbacks hot and not list tracks who is carrying these teams.
• Heading to a game this fall? Pair it with our HBCU homecoming 2026 guide.

Which Black coordinator do you think gets a head coaching job next January? Tell us in the comments.