Redskins executive Kyle Smith could leverage draft into GM role

The Redskins don’t even have a general manager at the moment, and yet, it’s the most stable the franchise has felt in a long time.

The purging of Bruce Allen and his tainted culture in early 2020 paved the way for a new era of Washington Redskins football, and while the jury is still very much out on how Ron Rivera’s authority will impact the state of football in D.C., things seem to be looking up.

The Redskins have been frugal and prudent thus far in free agency, and the organization as a whole seems to be operating smoother, with a more succinct strategy to follow. There have been some hiccups through the transition, as is the case with any changing of the guard, but there is reason to be optimistic.

Despite all this, there is a minor cause for concern among fans — the lack of a clear-cut general manager, despite the previously mentioned transition. Several in-house and external options were mulled over during the transition phase, but in the end, the title was bestowed to no one. Not yet.

There is a man who can put himself in position to solidify the Redskins’ general manager position with a good draft: Recently-promoted Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith. Smith, 35, was one of the few executives from the previous regime whom Rivera kept, and according to the Washington Post’s Les Carpenter, there are indications that the relationship between Rivera and Smith has been strengthened throughout the pre-draft process.

"Rivera, hired in December to replace the fired Jay Gruden, repeatedly has praised Smith through what the coach has told many is a “test” of Smith’s ability to be the team’s personnel chief after three years as Washington’s director of college personnel. People familiar with the two men’s relationship say Rivera has been impressed with Smith’s plan for rebuilding the team, as well as the way he handled free agency and prepared for the draft. They suggest the bond has only tightened as the two men have been forced to talk constantly by phone and video conference after the league ordered all team facilities closed because of the novel coronavirus pandemic."

Rivera characterized his relationship with Smith as “very strong” in Carpenter’s piece, and numerous other quotes speak to Smith’s nature as a talent evaluator, and how he learned a lot from his father A.J. Smith, who helped build AFC Championship-caliber teams in San Diego from 2003 to 2012. The imprint of Smith’s father has been noticed in Smith’s own work, as the Redskins’ draft performance has perceivably improved since his role increased.

One would hope that this improvement will only continue, as Rivera has entrusted Smith as his right-hand man for the coming 2020 NFL Draft. All reports indicate that this trust has only grown since the two joined forces, and with a strong NFL Draft performance, Smith, after three years of enduring front office dysfunction, can leverage this opportunity into a full-time general manager position, giving the Redskins the stability they’ve been searching for all along.