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Report: Washington Redskins will reorganize front office, not hire new general manager

By Jacob Camenker

Sep 12, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen on the field before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins president Bruce Allen on the field before the game between the Washington Redskins and the Pittsburgh Steelers at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Many believed that the Washington Redskins were in the market for a new general manager. However, it appears that the team may stay the course with their current front office staff.

When Scot McCloughan was fired by the Washington Redskins earlier in the offseason, many expected that they would bring in a new general manager. After all, McCloughan had been in charge of the team’s drafts in his two seasons, and he also set up the big board for 2017 before he was dumped by the team. Conventional wisdom suggested that the team needed to add a new decision maker. Early reports indicated that all options were on the table, even TV analyst Mike Mayock.

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However, on Thursday afternoon, the team made an intriguing decision. According to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, the team may look to reorganize their front office from within as opposed to hiring an external GM.

This is not a totally uncommon thing for the NFL. Still, this is usually seen more with head coaches, like when Tom Coughlin was dropped in favor of Ben McAdoo by the New York Giants in 2016. Having that happen in the front office is rare, but it could make sense.

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The Redskins are coming off a great 2017 NFL Draft class. They added 10 players who have some upside, and they really avoided making poor selections. Granted, some of that may have been because of McCloughan’s big board, but Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden deserve some credit for keeping the team afloat during that time. Perhaps that duo will get another year at the helm to see if improvements can be made again in the 2018 offseason.

Of course, Allen cannot handle all the duties by himself. The logical candidate for an internal promotion is Doug Williams. Williams, the first black quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl, has been with the Redskins since 2014 as a personnel executive. He was the pro scouting coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2009 to 2010, and he also served as the GM for the now defunct Virginia Destroyers for two seasons. He has experience and a solid scouting eye. That could be good news for the Redskins staff.

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At the end of the day, it would not be surprising to see Williams see more of the responsibilities that McCloughan dealt with. In the past, McCloughan has focused more on the college game, and Williams may be able to perform well in that area as well. However, given his knowledge of pro scouting, he has the ability to be a potentially great general manager. If he is given more responsibility, the Redskins will be on the path to fixing an issue that has been plaguing them for years. Lack of a competent, trustworthy decision maker.

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