KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A Kansas City Chiefs position coach is a part of many for an NFL diversity program.

Defensive backs coach Dave Merritt is one of 40 coaches that have been selected for the NFL Coach Accelerator Program that will take place from May 21 to May 23 at the Spring League Meeting in Minneapolis.

Merritt has been in his position with the Chiefs since 2019 after serving as a defensive position coach for the New York Jets/Giants and the Arizona Cardinals. The 51-year-old has been a part of four Super Bowl-winning teams including the Chiefs’ last two.

The program’s goal is to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent to develop and build upon their relationships. Teams usually choose coaches from their own organization but were able to nominate from outside of their organization this year.

In December 2022, Chiefs director of player personnel/pro scouting Tim Terry participated in the front office portion of the program.

Former NFL head coaches Leslie Frazier (former Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator) and Anthony Lynn (former Los Angeles Chargers HC) are part of the participants including former college HC Willie Taggart (now with the Baltimore Ravens).

Diversity in head coaching in the NFL has become a common issue that the Chiefs are close to.

Former offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy was with the organization for almost a decade including being the OC for the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowls and reportedly did not receive high interest for a head coaching job.

Bieniemy interviewed with more than half of the league about vacant head coaching jobs during his tenure in Kansas City.

The Washington Commanders OC/assistant HC was also cited in former Miami Dolphins HC Brain Flores’ lawsuit that claimed racism against Flores in the hiring processes of at least three different NFL teams.

The NFL has formed a new committee to review league and club policies following “ongoing concerns” over a lack of diversity in hiring since then.