The Miami Dolphins were busy on Friday afternoon.

After a whirlwind of a week and the introduction of coach Jeff Hafley and general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan to the world as the new braintrust in Miami, the Dolphins unleashed a pair of major hires on Friday evening — one for both men. Hafley got himself a coordinator in Chris Tabor. Sullivan, on the other hand, got himself a significant addition to the front office. It was announced that former Atlanta Falcons assistant general manager Kyle Smith was joining the team in the same role. Smith has notable NFL ties going back to the AFC East’s best rivalry and several years of leadership experience in front offices. What else do you need to know? Here are five things to know about new Dolphins assistant general manager Kyle Smith.

The Dolphins are hiring Kyle Smith as their assistant GM, per source.

Smith, who most recently held the same title in Atlanta, is a respected evaluator. Another big addition to Miami’s staff. pic.twitter.com/EcFJsXBlCF

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 23, 2026

Five things to know about new Dolphins assistant general manager Kyle Smith

1.. He’s the son of former Chargers general manager A.J. Smith

A.J. Smith has a massive thumbprint on the history of two organizations: the Chargers after a decade as their general manager in the 2000s and the Buffalo Bills of the late 1980s & early 1990s. Kyle gew up in Western New York as his father scouted for and helped to build the Bills — getting an up-close look at one of the most impressive football operations of the time. A.J. Smith helped execute the Eli Manning/Philip Rivers trade in the 2004 NFL Draft and was named the Pro Football Writers of American ‘Executive of the Year’ the same season.

Kyle Smith has great bloodlines in the scouting industry.

2. He turned to scouting after four years of professional football as a player

Kyle Smith did make a run at a playing career in the league. He was a successful prep athlete in Western New York before playing college football as a wide receiver and returner at Youngstown State. He played in the 2006 Hula Bowl before going undrafted and spending four years bouncing around NFL practice squads, NFL Europe, the AFL and the CFL.

3. Rise through the ranks coincided with strong trench picks in Washington

Smith’s first six seasons as an NFL scout were served on an intern or regional scout level. He was promoted to the Director of college scouting in 2017 and then again to the vice president of player personnel in 2020. In the four years Smith served in an elevated role in Washington, the team invested a ton on the defensive line with early picks, including:

– DT Jonathan Allen
– DT Da’Ron Payne
– EDGE Montez Sweat
– EDGE Chase Young

4. Tenure in Atlanta was dominated by skill player picks at the top

Kyle Smith transitioned from Washington to Atlanta in 2021 thanks to some front office movement. His first season in Atlanta, the team drafted TE Kyle Pitts early. The following year it was WR Drake London. Then, it was RB Bijan Robinson. In 2024 the team drafted QB Michael Penix Jr. Smith’s role was obviously not the decision-maker, that responsibility was former Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot’s. But it is fascinating to see Smith’s resume show examples of pouring primary resources into two very different parts of a roster year over year.

5. Hunting ‘win because of’ starters early

“Everybody in the league grades a little bit different but the commonality is though buckets. The first bucket is ‘win because of’ starters, these are guys you can say “elite”, “high level”, whatever that is. That bucket is, every year, depending on the year, a smaller bucket. Below that is your ‘winning starters’, that bucket is a little bit bigger. And underneath that is your good role players, depth players, etc…whenever you’re in the first round, you’re trying to pick from that top bucket.”

— Kyle Smith on the early NFL Draft dynamics

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