Doug Williams - Pro Football Rumors

Commanders Move Doug Williams Back To Personnel Role, Part Ways With Eugene Shen

June 25th, 2024 at 3:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Best known for his late-1980s run as Washington’s starting quarterback, Doug Williams remains with the organization. Though, the former Super Bowl XXII MVP’s role has changed a few times in recent years. Another adjustment will take place moving forward.

Moved out of the personnel picture early in Ron Rivera‘s tenure with the franchise, Williams is now back in the front office mix. The Commanders announced Tuesday the veteran exec will work as a senior advisor to GM Adam Peters. This will not be a foreign role for Williams, who was receiving Fritz Pollard Alliance recommendations for GM gigs in the late 2010s.

The first Black quarterback to start a Super Bowl — a Washington romp over Denver that ended with the QB throwing four touchdown passes — Williams previously worked as Washington’s senior VP of player personnel during a three-year stretch from 2017-19. Days into his tenure atop the club’s personnel hierarchy, Rivera shifted Williams to the title of senior VP of player development. The Bruce Allen-era staple, despite multiple GM changes since the team president’s exit, remains and will join Rivera-era hires Martin Mayhew and Marty Hurney as Peters lieutenants moving forward.

The Commanders also hired Texans director of player development Dylan Thompson, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson. Thompson, a former Lions character coach who spent three-plus years with Nick Caserio in Houston, to work as their senior director of team support and advancement. A former 49ers UDFA quarterback, Thompson did not overlap with Peters in San Francisco. But he will be part of the new Washington GM’s staff.

Washington is also moving on from senior VP of football strategy Eugene Shen, ESPN.com’s Seth Walder and John Keim report. Shen’s tenure lasted less than eight months, with Josh Harris having hired him in November. Coming to Washington after stints in Jacksonville, Baltimore and Miami, Shen was in place to provide more of an assessment rather than serve in a long-term capacity, per NBC Sports Bay Area’s JP Finlay.

Hurney remains in place after following Rivera to Washington, and fellow Rivera hire Rob Rogers will as well. Reported to be staying on at least through the draft, the ex-Panthers exec — hired in 2020 — is still with the club as VP of football administration. Carrying extensive negotiating experience, Rogers held this title for 11 years with the Panthers as well.

Additionally, the Commanders hired Doug Drewry as their manager of football research and development. Connor Nickel and Travis Ho are coming aboard as coaching analysts, while Matt Peterson is on the staff roster as the team’s football operations coordinator. Cyrus Daniels is in place as a football ops assistant. Dustin Regan is also now with the team as a college scout, being among the new scouting hires the now-Peters-led team has made this offseason. Charles Brensinger, Alberto de la Guardia, Mitch Sterner and Miles Turner are now scouting assistants with the NFC East team.

Redskins Rearrange Front Office

January 9th, 2020 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ron Rivera continues to make changes in Washington. In addition to the Redskins parting ways with football operations vice president Eric Schaffer, they will reassign another key front office executive.

Previously working as the Redskins’ senior VP of player personnel, Doug Williams will move out of a personnel role but stay with the team. Williams will now work as the Redskins’ senior vice president of player development, reporting to Rivera.

The former Super Bowl MVP played a key role in shaping recent Redskins rosters, doing so under Bruce Allen as the franchise separated from GM Scot McCloughan. But Rivera and a to-be-determined GM (who will likely be hired after the draft) will now be atop the team’s decision-making structure. Former Panthers exec Rob Rogers will be in that picture as well.

Rogers will join the Redskins as their senior VP of football administration. Rogers handled negotiations for the Panthers and managed the cap; he was with the franchise for all 25 years of its existence. Also heading up the Panthers’ analytics department, Rogers marks an interesting addition to the Redskins given his lengthy tenure in Charlotte.

Washington’s plan did not initially include parting ways with Schaffer, whom Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports was being tabbed to remain a key front office presence (Twitter link). However, that was contingent on Rivera being comfortable working with the 17-year Redskins exec. Schaffer will likely be with another team soon.

The Redskins are also promoting Malcolm Blacken to senior director of player development, where he’ll work with Williams, per ESPN.com’s John Keim (on Twitter). Blacken served as the Redskins’ director of player development for six years; Rivera will keep him in a familiar capacity.

Latest On Redskins’ First Round Plans

April 24th, 2019 at 4:34pm CST by Rory Parks

There has been plenty of chatter suggesting that the Redskins want to trade up from their No. 15 overall pick in order to better position themselves to (presumably) nab one of this year’s top collegiate passers. Earlier today, we heard yet again that Washington is contemplating a move into the Top 5, and while there was no definitive report as to the club’s hypothetical trade partner, the Jets — who hold the No. 3 overall pick — are allegedly determined to trade down.

Adding more fuel to that fire are several tweets suggesting that Redskins owner Dan Snyder is perhaps even more involved than usual in his club’s first-round selection. Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan hears from a team source that Snyder has “taken over the first round of the draft,” and the last time that happened, Washington surrendered a king’s ransom of draft picks to acquire the No. 2 overall selection in the 2012 draft, which it used on Robert Griffin III (Twitter link).

Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network has a similar report, and he indicates that Snyder “absolutely” has influence on the Redskins’ draft, while team president Bruce Allen also has an important role. On the other hand, senior VP of player personnel Doug Williams has limited input on the team’s picks, and head coach Jay Gruden has even less (Twitter link).

That in and of itself doesn’t mean much, but when put in the context of the RGIII trade, it could serve as a harbinger of things to come tomorrow night (plus, Garafolo’s report obviously doesn’t offer an optimistic view on Gruden’s long-term future with the club, which is an interesting sidenote). However, Mike Jones of USA Today tweets that the Redskins do not feel they can part with their early picks, and if they want to jump all the way up to No. 3, they will have to essentially empty their cupboard of early picks. Jones does note, though, that it’s lying season, so the Redskins’ reported reluctance to part with prime draft capital could be a smokescreen.

For what it’s worth, Paulsen says that Redskins spokesman Tony Wyllie categorically denied the notion that Snyder has taken control of the team’s first-round pick, but it’s his job to quash these kinds of rumors, regardless of their veracity. And regardless of Snyder’s influence on the draft, the Redskins have firmly established themselves as one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye over the next 24 hours or so.

Fritz Pollard Alliance Recommends GM Candidates

December 14th, 2018 at 11:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance has released its annual list of minority candidates for general manager vacancies. Much like the latest batch of recommended coaching hires, the suggested GM list is more than twice as long as last year’s.

Here’s the full rundown, via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link):

Ray Agnew (Rams)
Joey Clinkscales (Raiders)
Quentin Harris (Cardinals)
Alonzo Highsmith (Browns)
Brad Holmes (Rams)
Champ Kelly (Bears)
Martin Mayhew (49ers, ex-Lions GM)
Will McClay (Cowboys)
Jimmy Raye III (Lions)
Jerry Reese (ex-Giants GM)
Doug Whaley (ex-Bills GM)
Doug Williams (Redskins)

Clinkscales, Highsmith, McClay, and Williams were all featured on last year’s list, but none of those executives landed GM jobs. The only executive from the last round of recommendations who did not carry over to this year was Ray Farmer, the former Browns GM who is currently serving as a senior consultant with the Rams.

Of the dozen suggested executives on this list, only three sat for GM interviews in the last cycle: Mayhew (Panthers), Raye (Texans), and Whaley (Packers). McClay was asked to interview for the Texans opening, but declined the opportunity and instead signed a two-year extension to stay with the Cowboys. McClay may garner consideration again this time around, but he might not be interested in leaving Dallas.

Redskins Rumors: Peterson, Galette, Cap

September 29th, 2018 at 8:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Neither Daniel Snyder nor Redskins president Bruce Allen knew about the team’s decision to bring Adrian Peterson in for a workout. Instead, VP of player personnel Doug Williams and football operations president Eric Shaffer moved forward with the audition that quickly led to Peterson signing and then reclaiming an NFL starting gig.

“(Shaffer) looked and me and said, ‘Well, what do you think, what do we got to lose?’” Williams said during a radio interview with the Team 980’s Doc Walker (via the Washington Post). “I’m a little hesitant to pull the plug, and then before I went out to practice I looked at Eric and said, ‘Hey Eric, what the heck? Let’s do it.’

“The thing about that, I came to practice, I was so hyped about it that I forgot to tell Bruce that we was bringing him in. I’m sitting there that evening and Bruce came in my office and he just stood there looking at me. I’m thinking, ‘What’d I do?’ Well, Dan had called him and let him know he didn’t know. And Bruce let me know that he didn’t know because Dan didn’t know. I said, ‘Well look, that’s on me.’ I took it. Sometimes you have to have big shoulders, you take it and you move on.”

Williams arranged the workout for Monday, at a time when the Redskins were searching for available backs, and Peterson signed for the veteran minimum later that day. Peterson is thriving with Washington, his fourth NFL team; his 236 yards are fourth among players who’ve played just three games. He scored twice and rushed for a season-high 120 yards (6.3 per carry) in the Redskins’ 31-17 Week 3 win over the Packers.

Here’s the latest out of the nation’s capital:

Unless the Redskins see a member of their edge-rushing contingent suffer a setback, don’t look for them to bring back Junior Galette. Redskins brass is comfortable with its quartet of Ryan Kerrigan, Pernell McPhee, Preston Smith and Ryan Anderson, Rich Tandler of NBC Sports Washington notes. Galette’s expressed regret he turned down a Washington offer, for what the veteran pass rusher says was for two years and $10MM, this offseason. The Redskins informed him during free agency they were moving in a different direction. A Rams visit also did not produce a deal. After two season-nullifying injuries, Galette played in 16 Washington games last season and recorded three sacks. Of the aforementioned incumbents, only Anderson has a sack this season.
Washington would like this season to be a redshirt campaign for third-round pick Geron Christian. Jay Gruden said this week (per Tandler) he would like the rookie offensive linemen to learn this season. Christian has not been active on a game day yet, and the Redskins’ offensive line hasn’t encountered the injury trouble it did in 2017.
Although Washington has not made Caleb Brantley part of any of its 46-man Sunday rosters, the team views the young defensive lineman as a rotational piece down the line, Tandler adds. The Browns waived Brantley after one season. He played in 12 games as a rookie, starting one, and registered two sacks and a fumble recovery. Washington’s receiving strong play from its defensive line thus far, making opportunities for the second-year newcomer scarce.
One of the ways Washington can increase its cap space next year (projected total of $25MM) would be by cutting Josh Norman. While that line of thinking surfaced over the summer, Tandler writes it may behoove the team to keep its top corner in the fold for another season. A Norman release would save Washington $8.5MM but also stick the franchise with $6MM in dead money. Washington ranks second in total defense thus far and moved on from Kendall Fuller and Bashaud Breeland this offseason. Norman’s working with Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau now.

Pollard Alliance Releases HC, GM Candidates

December 8th, 2017 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Fritz Pollard Alliance met with the NFL this week and submitted names of suggested GM and head coaching candidates. The list, which is distributed to teams each year, recommends minority candidates for openings around the league.

This year’s candidates for GM jobs are Joey Clinkscales (Raiders), Alonzo Highsmith (Packers), Ray Farmer (Rams consultant), Will McClay (Cowboys), and Doug Williams (Redskins), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The head coaching candidates are Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, Vikings DC George Edwards, Panthers DC Steve Wilks, and Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Farmer has ten years of front office experience under his belt, including two as the Browns’ GM. The team went 10-22 under his watch, so wouldn’t necessarily be an exciting choice for a team this offseason. The other four suggested candidates would be first-time GMs, if hired.

Austin has been considered a bonafide head coaching candidate for some time, but he has been left in a holding pattern. In the 2016 offseason, Austin opined that two of his four interviews were done solely to satisfy the Rooney Rule. This past year, he interviewed with the Rams and Chargers.

Absent from the list is former Bills GM Doug Whaley, who received a potentially bogus interview with the Browns this week.

NFC Notes: Floyd, Cousins, 49ers, Eagles

June 16th, 2017 at 5:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings wide receiver Michael Floyd is fighting back against a report that he violated his house arrest rules by testing positive for alcohol, telling Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press: “Totally false. The whole thing is false. You can’t believe everything TMZ says.” Floyd, who had completed 91 days of his 96-day house arrest sentence as of Monday, is due in court June 26.

His agent, also named Brian Murphy, released a statement Friday, part of which says (full statement here via ESPN’s Adam Schefter):

“On June 10, 2017, Michael watched movies at his place of residence until 3:00 a.m. During that time, he drank several bottles of kombucha tea drinks, unaware that the drinks contain alcohol.

On June 11, 2017 at 5:30 a.m., Michael was tested and his blood alcohol content was .055. Michael was tested again at 5:54 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was down to .045. Michael was tested again at 6:23 a.m. and his blood alcohol content was .044. He then went back to sleep and missed a test at 6:33 a.m.”

Redskins Announce Front Office Changes

June 13th, 2017 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins are reshuffling things in the front office. On Tuesday morning, the team announced a number of moves, including the promotion of Doug Williams to the title of senior vice president of player personnel.

In related news, Eric Schaffer has been named vice president of football operations and Scott Campbell will become senior personnel executive. The most notable element here, however, is perhaps the move that wasn’t made by Washington. The team did not announce a new general manager, giving the impression that team president Bruce Allen will once again call the shots and have final say over the roster.

Williams, of course, is a Redskins legend for his Super Bowl XXII MVP performance following the 1987 season. In that game, the former first round pick helped the Redskins put up 42 points as they downed John Elway and the Broncos. Williams, who has spent eleven years in various scouting and personnel roles with the Buccaneers and Redskins, says that he is excited for the new challenge.

“You want this day to come. You hope it comes. It’s here today,” Williams said at a presser on Tuesday morning. “I’m blessed and I’m going to embrace it.”

At least for this year, the expectation is that Williams & Co. will report to Allen, Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. More tweaks could be on the way, however. Redskins’ Director of Pro Personnel director Alex Santos is one of the execs that could be primed for a bigger role, per Pelissero.

NFC Notes: Austin, Redskins, Pack, Panthers

May 6th, 2017 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tavon Austin will miss the Rams‘ offseason program after undergoing surgery to repair ligament damage in his left wrist, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports. This is an arthroscopic procedure that will shelve the fifth-year player during Los Angeles’ OTAs/minicamp portion of the schedule, but Gonzalez notes Austin is expected to be ready for training camp. The slot receiver will be looking to bounce back from a down year, one that followed the $42MM extension signed last summer. Austin is expected to be a key component of Sean McVay‘s offense as he attempts to revive the league’s worst passing attack.

Here’s the latest from the NFC.

The Redskins are continuing to search for a GM to succeed Scot McCloughan, but team president Bruce Allen isn’t expediting this process. “As far as what we are going to do, it hasn’t changed since March. We are going to be in the process of looking to see what we need to add to our personnel department to enhance the people that are here,” Allen said on a Daniel Snyder-owned radio station (via the team’s website), adding the Redskins plan to take their time while conducting this search. “There is some good quality people out there that’s available that we are talking to.” A report emerged earlier this week indicating Washington submitted a proposal to the NFL to restructure its front office without a GM. Allen denied that rumor, saying “there is no submission to the league on a form or anything like that.”
Redskins exec Doug Williams saw an expanded role during the draft, and Jarrett Bell of USA Today makes a case the former Super Bowl MVP is a logical candidate for Allen to consider. A fourth-year staffer in the Redskins’ front office, Williams has not been interviewed for the job, Bell reports. Allen gave the 61-year-old Williams his first NFL executive job, doing so with the Buccaneers during the 2000s. Even if the Redskins opt to go without a GM, they must interview a minority candidate for the position to comply with the Rooney Rule, per Bell. Williams has served as a senior personnel executive in Washington. The former Redskins quarterback been mentioned as an internal candidate for this job and linked to promotion to another higher-level position with the Redskins. He served as the Bucs’ pro scouting coordinator from 2009-10 and was the Virginia Destroyers’ GM in the now-defunct United Football League following the Tampa Bay stay.
Packers fourth-round pick Vince Biegel suffered a hand injury during rookie minicamp Friday that induced him to return Saturday with a club on the injured hand. However, Biegel said — via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com — he did not break any bones and was wearing the cast-like bandage as a precaution.
The Panthers gave Olympic sprinter Marvin Bracy a tryout at their rookie minicamp, David Newton of ESPN.com notes. A 100-meter Olympian at the Rio Games and former United States 60-meter dash champion, the 23-year-old Bracy spent a year on the Florida State football team as a redshirt before leaving the program to focus on track. The latest in a line of recent Olympic sprinters or jumpers to be given NFL tryouts, joining Jeff Demps and Jeff Henderson in that regard, the 5-foot-9 Bracy has a 9.93-second 100-meter clocking to his credit.

Redskins Likely To Hire GM From Within?

May 2nd, 2017 at 5:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Redskins have now tackled both free agency and the draft without a formal general manager in place, as Scot McCloughan‘s departure left a vacancy atop Washington’s decision-making structure. Having maneuvered the two primary avenues of player acquisition sans GM, the “most likely course” for the Redskins is to promote incumbent executive Doug Williams into a more critical position that supervises football operations, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Williams, who has worked for the Redskins since 2014 and also has experience with the Buccaneers and Jaguars, has been linked to a possible ascension in the nation’s capital previously, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post indicated earlier in March that Williams could be a candidate to take over as general manager. Other known quantities such as former Tampa Bay GM Mark Dominik, ex-Chargers GM A.J. Smith, and NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock have also been linked to the job, but La Canfora reports Washington “never really wanted” to make an external hire.

Even if Williams is promoted to general manager, team president Bruce Allen would effectively remain in charge, per La Canfora. But new roles could also be in store for employees such as scout Alex Santos and or contract negotiator Eric Schaffer, according to the CBS scribe.