Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt to attend NFL accelerator program at league meetings

#Chiefs DB coach Dave Merritt is set to represent the team at the NFL’s coaching accelerator program later this month.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have selected defensive back coach Dave Merritt to represent the club at the NFL’s coaching accelerator program when the spring league meetings begin in Minneapolis next week. This is a continuation of the previous accelerator events that the NFL introduced last season to help strengthen diversity in coaching and front offices across the league.

Merritt came to Kansas City in 2019, replacing longtime DB coach Emmitt Thomas after spending the 2018 season coaching the defensive backs at the Arizona Cardinals. Merritt worked with Steve Spagnuolo during both of his stints with the Giants, including their Super Bowl-winning season of 2007.

He’s been a critical part of the team’s defensive success, notably coaching up a secondary comprised of a number of new pieces during the 2022 NFL season en route to a Super Bowl LVII win.

Here’s the pertinent information on the event from the NFL:

The Coach Accelerator aims to increase exposure between owners, executives, and diverse coaching talent, providing ample opportunity to develop and build upon their relationships. In a change to the nomination process this year, clubs were able to nominate those from outside of their organization.

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In addition to networking, further development of the participants is a critical component of the accelerator, with curated content sessions scheduled that will further engage each participant on the advancement of their executive leadership skills and business acumen. 

Eric Bieniemy and Tim Terry represented the team at the inaugural accelerator programs for coaches and front office members last year.

“In the year since its inception, we’ve been encouraged by the positive response to the Accelerator from both club owners and participants,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said via press release.”We look forward to continuing to build on an incredible program that supports diverse talent.”

This could prove to be an opportunity for Coach Merritt to continue climbing the ladder in the NFL. Before long he could be considered for a defensive coordinator position, if not a head-coaching job.

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