The Cleveland Browns made headlines this week by naming Todd Monken their new head coach, a move that’s sparked more than just football talk. While Monken brings a wealth of experience and a proven offensive mind to Cleveland, his hiring has also reignited a broader conversation around diversity - or the lack thereof - in the NFL’s head coaching ranks.
Longtime commentator Skip Bayless weighed in with a pointed critique of the league’s current hiring cycle, expressing frustration over the continued underrepresentation of Black head coaches. In a 23-minute video, Bayless didn’t hold back.
“I am horrified by how few Black head coaches there are now in the National Football League,” Bayless said, noting that his concern is shared by Fritz Pollard Alliance emeritus member John Wooten, a longtime advocate for diversity in NFL leadership. “We have seen head coaches hired - Bills, Dolphins, Ravens, Titans, Giants, Falcons, Steelers, and now the Browns - without a single Black coach being hired.”
That list of hires, as Bayless pointed out, underscores a trend that’s hard to ignore. Despite a league made up predominantly of Black players, the head coaching landscape continues to lag behind when it comes to representation.
Bayless specifically pointed to Nate Scheelhaase, the 35-year-old passing game coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams, as a promising young coach who’s not getting the attention he deserves. Scheelhaase is one of the few Black offensive minds currently in the pipeline for head coaching roles - a fact that Bayless finds deeply troubling.
“He’s the only one I know,” Bayless said. “Which horrifies me.”
The offensive side of the ball has long been the fast track to head coaching gigs in today’s NFL. That’s what makes the lack of Black offensive coordinators or play-callers in the mix so glaring. If the pipeline isn’t diverse, the top jobs won’t be either.
Bayless also spotlighted another candidate who continues to be overlooked: Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. Flores, who previously served as head coach of the Miami Dolphins, has a strong résumé and a reputation as a leader who commands respect in the locker room. But his lawsuit against the NFL for alleged discriminatory hiring practices has cast a long shadow over his candidacy.
“I’m a big believer in Brian Flores,” Bayless said. “I thought he was born to be the next Ravens head coach, and they went with Jesse Minter.
Brian Flores is a powerhouse… He stood up for himself. He was right in everything he sued for.
I just wanted to see him get another shot as a head coach because I think he would have been sensational - like, championship sensational - with those Ravens.”
As of now, only three Black head coaches are leading NFL teams: Aaron Glenn with the Jets, DeMeco Ryans in Houston, and Todd Bowles in Tampa Bay. That’s a small number in a league with 32 teams - and it’s a number that hasn’t shifted much in recent years, despite the league’s stated commitment to diversity and inclusion.
Bayless added that he’s hopeful Raheem Morris, who was let go by the Falcons at the end of the regular season, might still land on his feet - potentially with the Arizona Cardinals, who remain in the market for a new head coach. If Morris were to be hired, it would bring the total number of Black head coaches to four.
This isn’t a new conversation, but it’s one that continues to resurface with each hiring cycle. And as Bayless pointed out, the lack of progress is frustrating for those who’ve been pushing for change for years.
The Browns’ decision to go with Monken may very well pay off on the field - he’s a sharp football mind with a strong track record. But his hiring also serves as another reminder that for many qualified Black coaches, the road to the top job remains as steep and uncertain as ever.