10 potential GM candidates for the Redskins if they part with Bruce Allen

The top option for the Redskins may be keeping everything as and promoting from within to replace Bruce Allen. And frankly speaking, restructuring the current front office minus Allen could work well.

The Redskins have had some successful offseasons in recent years. They have unearthed some gems in the 2017-2019 NFL Drafts including Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne, Terry McLaurin, Cole Holcomb, and Derrius Guice, among others, and they have also done well to land some quality players in free agency. They signed Landon Collins to a high-paying contract, but the early-year cap hits were so low that they have financial flexibility moving forward.

Additionally, they were able to extend Quinton Dunbar and Matt Ioannidis on below-market-value deals to retain two unheralded players that have since developed into key defenders for the squad. So, their staff deserves a lot of credit.

The key personnel men include Doug Williams, Kyle Smith, and Eric Schaffer. And in this scenario, all would be promoted. It makes the most sense to promote Doug Williams to the de facto GM/President spot, though, as he is the highest-ranking of the trio at the moment. Plus, as a former Redskins player, he would be a good figurehead for the front office who needs to earn back fan support after a couple of decades of subpar management from Allen and Vinny Cerrato.

If Williams is promoted to the GM/President role, he can still help run the draft along with Smith, who would take on a larger role than his Director of College Scouting title. Perhaps he could even be a VP of Player Personnel or he could even get the GM title if Williams is named President. Either way, he is due for a promotion and could even have a shot at taking over the front office if the Redskins prefer him over Williams.

Meanwhile, Schaffer would assist in free agency under the senior-most Vice President title, and he would continue to handle the team’s contracts well moving forward. That said, Schaffer is reportedly going to leave the the Redskins in May. So that may open up a different role in the Redskins front office.

This move would be sticking with the status quo minus one of the front office’s most problematic figures in Allen. It would weed out some dysfunction while keeping the continuity that has worked. With Williams and company and the helm, perhaps more coaches would be willing to consider the Redskins and the organization will command more respect.

In short, don’t be surprised if the team stays in house if they move on from Allen. In this case, it doesn’t look like a bad idea.