Washington Redskins could promote Kyle Smith to general manager

The pick is in.

As much as some may want to believe, the Washington Redskins’ stellar NFL Draft wasn’t a coincidence. Things are changing in the front office. And more change is on the way. The Washington Redskins may have finally picked a general manager.

On the heels of a very good 2018 NFL Draft class acquired by the Washington Redskins, there has been some minor turnover in the scouting department. Scott Campbell, who was slowly being phased out after seventeen years with the team, officially parted ways with the burgundy and gold yesterday. And now, per Chris Cooley of ESPN 980, there is talk that the team could elevate one of their own to the ranks of general manager: A promising young scout named Kyle Smith.

Smith took over Campbell’s former position, Director of College Scouting and Personnel, in 2018. Although Smith was not the only one involved in the process of scouting and inevitably drafting prospects, by his work, the Washington Redskins managed to land a bevy of players likely to provide immense value, relative to their selection spots.

Credit must be given to the Washington Redskins’ front office; they did a very good job this April. And now, it appears that Doug Williams is following that philosophy as well. He appears to be prepared to credit Kyle Smith by promoting him to the position of general manager.

There is obvious upside in promoting a young, up and coming talent evaluator to the premier scouting position in sports. For starters, you keep him in-house, and ensure that he benefits no other franchise besides yours.

The Washington Redskins will likely make this a key focus after losing upstart coaching talent Sean McVay to the Rams, where he ultimately won NFL Coach of the Year in his debut season. The team didn’t have a choice in that matter; Jay Gruden is one of the better coaches in the league, and after keeping the Washington Redskins relevant despite so many things working against him, he deserves to keep the job and prove he can win in the right circumstances.

But while the Washington Redskins didn’t have a choice in keeping McVay, they have no competition for Kyle Smith in the front office, and there is reason to believe that they have been making moves to clear the way for his promotion and his new, increased role. They have no reason not to promote Smith, if they feel he is the one for the job.

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Having a general manager not named Bruce Allen would be a welcome sight for Washington Redskins fans, and Smith has a promising background. His father is A.J. Smith, the man who traded for Phillip Rivers as the San Diego Chargers’ general manager, and ultimately built that team into a playoff contender. And according to ESPN’s John Keim, Kyle Smith has the knowledge, energy, and raw passion for the job. Those are three things that every winning franchise should have in its front office.