Updated 11/1/2023 at 12:43 p.m. ET:
We’re nearly halfway through the NFL season and there’s already been some huge changes to the head coaches and signal callers in the league. The most recent being Antonio Pierce, who was recently promoted as the interim head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.
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During the first week of the NFL season, the league made history when 14 Black quarterbacks led their teams on the field. For comparison’s sake, that’s just shy of half the league’s 32 teams and more than the previous record of 11 Black starting signal callers, which happened last season.
But since then, the number of Black starters has taken a dip due to QBs being traded (Josh Dobbs), benched (Desmond Ridder), and hurt (Anthony Richardson). But for the sake of this list, we’re going to include all QBs (injured or benched) that have started games for NFL franchises this year.
Antonio Pierce - Las Vegas Raiders
Due to the firing of Josh McDaniels during the middle of the season, the Raiders elevated Linebackers Coach Antonio Pierce who played in the NFL for nine seasons with the Washington Commanders and the New York Giants. Will he be able to turn the Raiders’ season around?
Mike Tomlin - Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is an excellent motivator who’s had zero losing seasons in 16 years as the team’s head coach. It looks well on his way to continuing that streak halfway through the 2023 season.
Todd Bowles - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Todd Bowles got a second chance to be a head coach last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They’re now considered to be one of the worst teams in the league. They’ve performed better than expected and are competitive in a weak NFC South division.
DeMeco Ryans - Houston Texans
He was a beloved and excellent coach in San Francisco as the defensive coordinator. Now he’s finally gotten his chance to lead a franchise with the Houston Texans, creating the only Black Coach/QB combo in the NFL. Halfway through the season, his squad has been competitive and frisky.
Mike McDaniel - Miami Dolphins
I know how he looks, but yes, he’s Black. His personality is extremely entertaining and he has a talented team and an explosive offense to back up his hilarious comments.
Desmond Ridder - Atlanta Falcons
Ridder’s time as the starter for the Atlanta Falcons was short-lived. His play was not good enough to save his spot as a starter and as a result, he’s been benched for NFL journeyman Taylor Heinicke.
Lamar Jackson - Baltimore Ravens
He’s one of the best QBs in the league. He’s a unanimous MVP. He’s one of the highest-paid players in the league, and he plays on a team that has an entirely Black QB room with all-black quarterback coaches.
Bryce Young - Carolina Panthers
A lot of eyes are on the number one overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft. Nobody questions his skillset, but some do question his size. It’s been a struggle this year but the Panthers have kept them in there for some much-needed experience.
Justin Fields - Chicago Bears
Fields was electric on the ground last year, leaving defenders in the dust every week. This season he’s had moments, but it hasn’t led to many wins for the Bears.
Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns
His alleged actions off the field have been well documented. Although talented, he hasn’t been an elite QB since 2020 and has underperformed so far up to this point in the season.
Dak Prescott - Dallas Cowboys
I don’t care what anybody says, Dak Prescott is a good quarterback and probably an even better person. But none of that matters when you play for the Dallas Cowboys. All they want to see you do is win.
Russell Wilson - Denver Broncos
I questioned if Russell was cooked last year. He’s played a lot better in the 2023 season, but the team is still one of the worst in the league.
Jordan Love - Green Bay Packers
No more Aaron Rodgers. It’s your show, Jordan Love. After sitting behind a future Hall of Famer for the last three years, the fourth-year QB has had the pressure of playing for a franchise that has had elite QB play for the last 30 years. It hasn’t been pretty halfway through the season.
CJ Stroud - Houston Texans
The smooth Ohio State QB is here to make his presence known. Stroud was damn near perfect in college as a thrower and has been even more impressive during his short time with the Texans.
Anthony Richardson - Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson is still the future of the Indianapolis Colts despite having a season-ending injury less than halfway through the 2023 season. Hopefully, he’ll come back stronger and better next year.
Patrick Mahomes - Kansas City Chiefs
He’s Patrick Mahomes. The best player in the NFL. Can he go back-to-back, further staking his claim as the best QB to ever do it?
Jaren Hall/Josh Dobbs - Minnesota Vikings
With Kirk Cousins tearing his Achilles in Week 8, the QB position is up in the air for the Vikings. The team could either go with Josh Dobbs, who they recently traded for from the Cardinals, or Jaren Hall, who was taken in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. Dobbs sounds like the obvious answer since he’s more experienced and has already started games for the Cardinals this season. But Hall has been with the team since the start of the season. Either way, the Vikings will have a Black QB going forward.
Jalen Hurts - Philadelphia Eagles
All questions were answered last year when he was close to winning MVP and the Super Bowl. He got his money, got his degree and is in the process of leading another excellent Philadelphia Eagles team.
Geno Smith - Seattle Seahawks
Geno Smith revitalized his career a year ago. After a disappointing start to his career with the Jets, he bounced around the league trying to find a home. Now he’s the man in Seattle, hoping to lead his team to back-to-back playoff berths. It’s looking pretty good so far.
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