Washington Football Team parts ways with Kyle Smith, three other scouts

After a long buildup, the Washington Football Team has officially parted ways with Vice President of Player Personnel Kyle Smith.

Kyle Smith’s union with Ron Rivera started off on a high note. The two worked together through the 2020 NFL Draft season, and the class ended up being one of the Washington Football Team’s most productive groups in years. Among others, Chase Young, Antonio Gibson, and Kamren Curl all took on crucial roles for the team down the stretch.

The success of Kyle Smith’s first rookie class in his newest position led some to speculate that he might soon be elevated to the general manager position. But early reports detailing the Washington GM search did not even mention Smith, let alone name him as a candidate.

Instead, the Washington Football Team appeared to be perusing the league for potential outside hires. Rumors beyond that suggested that Smith desired authority that Rivera was hesitant to grant.

In the past month, the situation reached its climax. The Washington Football Team hired Martin Mayhew as its general manager, and also hired Marty Hurney as the Executive Vice President of Player Personnel — a role seemingly identical to Smith’s role.

At that point, the writing was on the wall for Smith, and today, his fate was confirmed. Per The Athletic’s Ben Standig, the Washington Football Team let go of Smith and three other scouts: Assistant Director of Pro Scouting Jeff Scott, pro scout Brian Zeches, and national scout Cole Spencer. According to Standig, Smith already has a similar role lined up with another team.

Smith had spent over a decade with Washington, and was one of the few Bruce Allen-era hires to remain under Ron Rivera’s regime in the 2020 offseason. For three years, Smith played an integral role in the team’s draft board alignment, and helped build the young core to where it is today. Smith was widely viewed as a rising figure in his department, but now, he’ll carry on his career somewhere else.

As for the Washington Football Team, they’ll move full steam ahead with an experienced group that includes Rivera, Mayhew, and Hurney. While experienced, Mayhew and Hurney don’t have particularly inspiring resumes. Still, context is valuable, and they may be able to make more of their current situation. With Smith out and the front office settled, Washington can officially start to focus on further team building.