NFL expands Rooney Rule to cover quarterbacks coach position

The NFL is expanding the Rooney Rule to cover a new position. From now on, all quarterback coaching vacancies will be subject to the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview at least one minority candidate when filling head coaching positions.

It's the second change to the Rooney Rule the NFL has put in place during the offseason. The first came in March, when the league announced teams would be required to hire a minority candidate or a woman to fill an offensive assistant position.

At the time, the NFL cited that most head coaches come from an offensive background, which is why the league chose an offensive position. That same logic likely applies to this new tweak.

A number of current NFL head coaches spent time coaching quarterbacks in the NFL. Mike McCarthy, Josh McDaniels, Matt LaFleur, Andy Reid, Kevin Stefanski and Zac Taylor make up a small portion of that group.

It makes sense that quarterbacks coaches would receive interviews for head coaching jobs. Assistants who get selected to interview for head coaching jobs usually come from good teams. Those good teams often have good quarterbacks. That reflects well on the quarterbacks coach.

Teams looking for head coaches likely performed terribly the previous season, probably due to poor quarterback play. Thus, it becomes important for those teams to find someone who can get the best out of a high draft pick or a questionable starting option. Who is best suited for that task? Probably a quarterbacks coach who has already experienced success with a young prospect.

NFL teams struggling with diversity in high positions

The NFL received criticism this offseason for its low diversity numbers, particularly among head coaches. The league employs five minority head coaches among its 32 teams. Mike McDaniels of the Miami Dolphins, Ron Rivera of the Washington Commanders, Robert Saleh of the New York Jets, Lovie Smith of the Houston Texans and Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The league came under even more fire in February, when former Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL for racial discrimination. The league said Flores' claims were "without merit," but have spent the offseason trying to expand and adjust the Rooney Rule.