Doug Williams to serve as Redskins senior VP of player personnel
— -- ASHBURN, Va. -- The Washington Redskins went outside the building looking for answers to their front-office setup, only to find them already on the inside. And their most prominent change involves someone who once led them to a Super Bowl title.
They promoted several people in the organization, with the most prominent being Doug Williams to senior vice president of personnel. What they didn't do was name a general manager, instead changing titles for others to fill various roles.
It left Williams as the third-highest ranking member of the organization, behind owner Dan Snyder and president Bruce Allen. Eric Schaffer, who has been their chief negotiator the past 10 years, becomes the vice president of football operations. Kyle Smith, son of former NFL general manager A.J. Smith, replaced Scott Campbell as the director of college scouting, with the latter becoming a senior personnel executive.
The Redskins fired general manager Scot McCloughan in March. Allen said they met with at least a dozen people outside the organization and still might hire someone, but most likely as area scouts.
Williams has been a senior personnel executive since rejoining the organization in 2014. He was a personnel executive from 2004-08 in Tampa Bay when Allen was the Buccaneers' general manager.
"I don't think by me knowing Bruce had the impact as much as the plan and the trust that he had in me," said Williams, who helped the Redskins win a Super Bowl after the 1987 season.
The question that has long been asked involves who has the power. McCloughan was said to have control over the 53-man roster, but coach Jay Gruden had heavy input in that area as well.
"That'll be the same," Allen said. "It's going to be a Redskins decision. No different than how we did free agency, no different than how we did the draft. Coach Gruden has influence, Doug will have influence and between them they ought to be able to work it out. And, yes, I will be involved."
Williams said he only will be in charge of providing talent, and that it will be Gruden's decision from there.
"I'm not going to interfere with who needs to be playing," Williams said. "That's not my job. I'm not the GM, I'm not the president and I'm not the coach. I won't go to Jay and say, 'Why didn't so and so play?' I'm out of order."
Allen said he would be involved as well, much as he always has been since returning to the organization in 2009.
"Let's be real here," Williams said. "Dan Snyder controls everything. He entrusted Bruce to be the president, and Bruce makes a lot of decisions. He's the president, and he has the right to do whatever he wants, but he wanted to make sure [Gruden and I are] on the same page. If we're on the same page, I don't think he'll interfere.
"Everybody needs a referee. Talking to Bruce over the last day or so ... he wants to back away and hope that Jay and [my] marriage is so strong that he doesn't have to do that."
Williams said it was his idea to have his new title -- and not become a general manager. He did not want to get involved, he said, in every detail of the organization. He just wanted personnel.
"It wasn't important to me," Williams said. "We had a general manager. It didn't work out that well. ... If we do a good job, no matter what happens, we'll all get credit for what this football team does."
Williams understands that he's a historical figure because he was the first African-American quarterback to win a Super Bowl. But he said he's also traveled a long road to reach this point, with stops in every role from coaching in high school to college and serving various roles in front offices.
"A lot of people of people look at it from a celebrity thing," Williams said. "But I can tell you there's very few football players who had a chance to win a Super Bowl, that spent time coaching high school, spent about nine years in college coaching, be on the road -- up and down the road -- scouting, and being in personnel departments for the last 12 to 15 years to say that they're just a celebrity.
"Sure I might be a celebrity to a lot of people, but I enjoy doing what I'm doing and working with the people that I work with."
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