May 11-17

For the third week in a row, we saw front office and scouting staffs change at a breakneck pace. Along the way, we noticed something that may indicate how new GMs’ priorities are different from their predecessors. More on that later. First, let’s review all the moves since last week at this time. 

• The Patriots shed two members of Bill Belichick’s scouting staff as Executive Vice President of Player Personnel (i.e., GM) Eliot Wolf continued remaking the team’s front office. 
• Jack Quagliarello changed coasts, moving from scouting assistant in San Francisco to Pro Scout in Washington, following Adam Peters from the Bay Area to Our Nation’s Capital. 
• The Texans decided to move on without last year’s Director of Pro Personnel, Ronnie McGill. 
• Joshua Williams got promoted by the 49ers. 
• San Francisco also added a scouting assistant, Ryan Schutta.
• Buffalo picked up a scout, Darius Vinnett, who won praise by his previous team for his evaluation prowess.
• Tennessee switched a Pro Scout, Brandon Taylor, to covering the Southeast in 2024.
• The Titans also brought in AJ Highsmith from the Bills for a newly created position, Director of Scouting. 
• Another Commanders staffer found a new home as Harrison Ritcher, a College Scout last year, moved south to Charlotte.
• The Lions added two highly regarded evaluators in Tom Roth, formerly a Titans area scout, and Dwayne Joseph, who headed Las Vegas’ pro department. 
• Sam Summerville, who won awards with multiple organizations (including ours) during his time in Chicago, found a new home in Nashville.
• The Panthers continued retooling their front office by parting ways with area scout Eli Montague.
• Carolina also added a new member of the scouting corps, David Whittington, from Washington. 
• The Bears are doing some reshuffling of their staff, rewarding several scouts with new titles. 
• The Dolphins did the same, elevating Chase Leshin and Nathan Trott to more senior roles.
• Former Bears executive Josh Lucas returned to the game as an area scout in Cleveland.
• The Browns also promoted Kathleen Wood to a new post after five years on the road.
• Brad Obee wasn’t on the street long after leaving Philly; he’s Carolina-bound.
• The Patriots added a scout from Jacksonville, Casey Belongia, who has some history with Wolf. 
• The Cowboys continued their habit of beefing up their analytics department with two additions. 

Just three weeks past the draft and already we’ve recorded more than 100 moves in the NFL scouting community. To put that in context, as recently as 2019, about there was a total of 140 moves at the end of the summer, when camps start and staffs lock down for the season. So things are moving quickly, but there’s something else we’ve noticed. 

Since January, the Steelers, Panthers, Patriots, Texans and Bucs have moved forward without at least one director-level pro scout (the Panthers actually have to replace a director and an assistant director). You can also add the Raiders, who lost Joseph mere days ago. At any rate, it’s a departure from last year, when every director-level pro staffer who changed jobs got a promotion. There were a handful of pro evaluators left without jobs last offseason, but none of them were directors or assistant directors. 

What’s more, a number of those employees have not been replaced. Granted, the season hasn’t started yet and free agency is over, so the need for pro scouts is minimal, but it seems unusual that things are moving so slowly. Could there be a reason for this? 

• Maybe the proliferation of analytics and numbers of every kind, as well as readily available video, means it’s easier to evaluate opponents, as well as the players “on the street” in-season.
• Maybe the rise of less-specific job titles (like Senior Personnel Executive or Director of Scouting) hide the jobs some pro staffers are doing.
• Maybe, as we’ve discussed previously, new GMs are experiencing flat scouting budgets, but want to add analytics staffers, and see dismissing pro scouting executives as the best way to do this. 
• Or, maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s just early in the process and everything will look normal in a matter of weeks. It’s also worth noting that the Giants (Nick La Testa), 49ers (R.J. Gillen) and Titans (Rob Riederer) all gave people in significant pro roles promotions. 

So where are the hot spots for the week ahead?

• The Titans have made a lot of changes; we think there may be a couple more.
• The Commanders aren’t quite done yet, and may yet add a very talented new staffer.
• We could see the Chargers add a respected senior staffer, as well.
• The Jags have lost two staffers in the last week, one to retirement, one to the Patriots.
• The Texans and Panthers have created vacancies that require filling.
• The Falcons may not be done changing things around.
• Several teams have interviews with potential scouting assistants ongoing.

For all these reasons, we don’t expect things to calm down this week. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for all the latest updates. Now let’s take a look at what else happened in the business of college and pro football this week.

AJ Smith, 1949-2024: Last Sunday, the football world said goodbye to a veteran front office presence whose work helped produce numerous Super Bowl teams and whose legacy continues today. A.J. Smith was a key member of staffs in Buffalo (where he headed the pro department) and San Diego (where he served as GM) during his almost four decades in player evaluation. Smith started his career as a scout with the Giants, but worked his way up with stops in Pittsburgh, Houston and New England before rising to the director level with the Bills in the late 80s. His arrival coincided with Buffalo making four straight Super Bowl appearances (after the 1990-1993 seasons). Later, upon joining the Chargers, the team won five straight AFC West Division titles before he wrapped his career with the Redskins. Smith even spent three seasons as a scout in the old USFL in the early 80s. Today, his son, Kyle, is the Assistant GM of the Falcons; Kyle won a BART List Award for the 2022 season. We extend our deepest sympathies to Smith’s friends and families. 

Merging analytics and scouting: This month, with the focus on front offices, Scouting the League podcastco-hosts Rodrik David and Neil Stratton felt it was time to speak to someone about what the numbers mean and how teams break down tendencies to make better decisions. To do this, they brought in Matt Manocherian, who’s not only the Chief Operating Officer of Sports Info Solutions but also a former NFL scout in his own right (Browns and Saints) for this week’s edition. Matt talked about what teams use analytics to their fullest potential; why analytics is valuable in determining how many snaps DE Chase Young should play for the Saints; how Matt determined that Duke’s Graham Barton is more oriented to inside than outside play; what kinds of mistakes baseball has made that football can learn from; and several other topics. If the inner workings of NFL player evaluation interest you, this is the podcast for you. Check out all of the STL podcasts here.

Catching Up: Salim Powell, 36, spent two years in the front office of the Jets before leaving for a coaching position at Temple in 2020. We caught up with him last week.

• Where are you living and what are you doing now?: “We’re living in Somerdale, NJ, about 20 minutes from where I grew up. I was born in Newark, then moved to Willingboro. Basically, I’m an IT staffing consultant. I’m an account manager. I was doing IT recruiting, so basically I was placing software engineers, help desk . . . all your IT needs, I was placing those people. Now I have to go find the clients for any vertical, the government, anyone that needs us. We place our people as subject matter experts at that company.” 

• Do you miss the job? What do you miss most?: “I would say . . . it’s always tough. The parts I do miss with scouting in particular . . . well, I’m a little twofold because I was in scouting and coaching. But it’s like playing football. You miss the guys. You spend a lot of time with the guys. Just the ability to be able to meet so many people from so many different backgrounds. And then one thing with scouting, there’s not a lot of noise. You’re in the tape, into the backgrounds, you own your area, you own your people, you come out with a final product. In coaching and in the corporate world, there’s a lot of outside influences, but in the scouting world, that’s the last thing you want. You get to really go after the craft.” 

• Do you keep in touch with any of your former colleagues?: “I actually do. I keep in touch with one of the guys especially, (Jets pro scout) Ray Agnew III, not to be confused with his dad (the Lions AGM). I keep in touch with him. Lot of the Jets guys. (Pro Personnel Director) Greg Nejmeh, (Cowboys SE area scout) Eric Ellingworth, (Assistant Director of Pro Personnel) Kevin Murphy, (Director of College Scouting) Jon Carr. I keep in touch with a fair amount of guys. Also (Seahawks Director of College Scouting) Aaron Hineline, (Colts AGM) Ed Dodds. Every now and then I’ll shoot (Panthers GM) Dan Morgan a text. I try to keep in touch, but I’m very sensitive about it. I kinda withdrew when I got out of football to make sure I wasn’t looking in the rear view too much, but I need to get back in touch with some guys. But there’ s still plenty of people I keep in contact with.” 

• Do you go to any live games (HS/college/pro)?: “Obviously, I go to Jets games when I can. Since my son was born, all he remembers is the Jets, and he’s in Eagles country, so he argues with his friends and the teachers. We go to Jets games and I got some buddies coaching in high school, so I go check those games out. When I first got out, I stayed away to see what else is out there, but I’ve been to a couple pro games, and went back to a Temple game. My wife works at Temple, and I coached at Temple. But I need to do more. I need to make it to some Steelers games. I need to get around a little more. You gotta move away, because if you don’t, you don’t really get to enjoy other things. There’s not a lot of time in football for other things. I’ve even started golf lessons. I never had time for that.”

• Are there any players you love to watch and/or feel close to due to your work in the game?: “It’s hard, man. I grew up a Cowboys fan, and I was Emmitt Smith all day, wore 22 in HS. It’s one of those things where it’s hard to root for other teams when you’ve worked for one. Most of the guys I’ve been involved with, they’ve shuffled around, and you get to meet these people from other organizations. You’re rooting for them. It’s hard to root for one team specifically. It’s the people in the building you’ve been around, the people on the road you’ve forged relationships with. When you know guys on the sideline and in the front office, it’s kinda hard to pick one. I’m sitting there watching on a Sunday, and the Jet are playing over there, Cowboys over there, I know a guy for the Steelers . . . you start to learn all the different people and you want to see how this guy is going, or how that guy is doing. It’s hard to pick.”

Review the latest from other former NFL scouts and executives by accessing our Catching Up archive here. Want to hear from a former scout, or know someone who may be interested in being interviewed? Let us know.

73 days: That’s how long it is until the 2024 NFLPA Exam. Ten weekends. If you’ve been working with us along the way through this spring, that’s a lot of time. However, if you’re just starting (or re-starting) to prepare for the exam, maybe it’s time to start bearing down. As you know, exam prep is something we take seriously around here, and we’d love to help as we roll through our 13^th year helping people get certified. If you’re just starting up, we recommend you start with our study guide, which has no parallel as a study aid for the exam. It’s a 70-page PDF that we’ll put in your hands within an hour of purchase, and it’s pretty comprehensive. Once you spend some time with the guide, you’ll be ready to test yourself. Our first practice exam is $200 plus tax ($150 plus tax if you’re an ITL client), and its 50 questions are written to mirror as closely as possible the exam you’ll see in July. The answers and an explanation of how we arrived at them are at the end of the exam, and you can take it as many times as you’d like. If you need even more practice, we have a second exam(available only after purchase of the first exam) which is similar to our first exam (50 questions, multiple choice, answer key at the end, no limit on how many times you can take it). More of a visual learner? We have three instructional videos available for purchase at $35 plus tax each. Here’s a rundown of what they cover: 

• February: Given a signing bonus and Year 4 cap number, calculate rookie salary • Calculation of problems re: June 1 rule, a key concept that's always part of the exam • Calculation of agent fees, including split between two agents after one has been terminated. • Accrued seasons, accrued seasons for benefits, and accrued seasons for salary. $35 plus tax
• March: Eligibility (accrued, credited for benefits, credited for salary) and free agency (Tenders, ROFR, exclusive rights free agency, restricted rights free agency, unrestricted free agency; transition tag, franchise/non-exclusive with terms, franchise/exclusive with terms); determining if a player has accrued a season, earned credit for benefits, earned credit for salary; deadline for payment (if cut on Tuesday, does he get paid?). • Split contracts • Termination pay • Veteran salary benefit. $35 plus tax
• April: Preseason split and in-season split, types of splits, definition, etc. • workman’s comp offsets, etc. • draft signals • PPE (partial coverage) • and practice squad salaries. $35 plus tax.

Ready for some live interaction? You’re in luck. Our next session is Wednesday, and while we’re still deciding which topics will be covered, we’ll observe the same format as always. Our instructor, long-time agent Ian Greengross, will join participants on Zoom at 9:30 p.m. ET for an hour-long session working through several relevant topics for the exam. We’ll have topics this week, and we’ll email all our test-takers to let them know what’s ahead. Cost is $50 plus tax, and all participants get a copy of the video, as well. Can’t make it Wednesday night? The video only is $35 plus tax, and will be sent out immediately following Wednesday’s session. 

Still have questions? Reach us at nstratton@insidetheleague.com and we’ll get everything ironed out. 

Profile Reports: This week, we continued our momentum with five reports. On Monday, Buffalo went under the microscope, followed by California on Tuesday, Central Florida on Wednesday, Central Michigan on Thursday and Charlotte today. Next week, it’s Cincinnati on Monday, Clemson on Tuesday, Coastal Carolina on Wednesday, Colorado on Thursday and Colorado State on Friday. We’re rolling through FBS football, and we think you should be following along. Check out 10 prospects you need to know about with 22 schools so far by clicking here.

Spring sours: Our focus for the last three weeks has been almost solely on scouting developments over the past three weeks, and rightly so, but there’s been plenty more happening across the game. A big part of that has been the spring window of the transfer portal and the movement across the country of several major college players. Though there’s been plenty of action, has the spring met expectations? Last week, we spoke to the personnel professionals across the league and analyzed some of the characteristics of April and May, based on what they told us. This week, we looked at it from a different viewpoint, talking to agents to get their opinions on what has happened this spring. Bottom line: they weren’t really excited about it. But don’t take our word for it – read their words in this week’s post. 

Next week: Once again, we’ll try to wade through all our analyses of the 2024 NFL Draft, sifting out the agents, agencies, training facilities and others in the industry who excelled this year. Of course, if the scouting hot stove remains sizzling, we might not be able to get to much of it (or any of it). Hopefully, we’ll find the time. Here’s a look at what’s on our plate.

• Our Rep Rumblings have been a non-stop rundown of the front office moves already made, the moves we expect to be made, our analyses of growing trends, the names you need to know, the places that are looking for reinforcements at the scouting assistant level, and everything else. We’ll try to get outside of that pattern next week, but it might not be easy with so many scouting staffs still unsettled. Bottom line, if scouting interests you, our RR features are must reading. 
• Chicago-based agent Ian Greengross joins us Wednesday for his latest instruction session on Zoom at 9:30 p.m. ET. As always, we’ll send out the Zoom link Wednesday afternoon, then we’ll send out the video once Ian wraps things up after his hour-plus breakdown. Register here to join us, or here for the video only. 
• We’ll have five more Profile Reports. Make sure you’re checking them out. 
• For the Scouting the League podcast, the guest will be speed trainer extraordinaire Pete Bommarito of South Florida-based Bommarito Performance Systems. Pete will tell us his thoughts on the NFL Combine timing controversy; how technology is improving speed training; why big players’ speeds are improving so much; and plenty more. 
• How has the UFL performed this season? Has the performance on the field been solid? Have the ticket purchases and television views been up to snuff? Is there hope for a Season 2 in 2025? It’s one of the topics we’ve been chewing on, and might be the topic for next week. On the other hand, we might also introduce a new feature designed to help test-takers get over the hump in July. Or we might talk about something else entirely. We’ll see soon enough. In the meantime, review our previous posts here.
• Once again, we hope to have our Agent Changes for the March-to-April term, and if we get lucky, we’ll even have the April-to-May term, as well, though if we’re honest, don’t count on it. It’s possible we will have, however, our Agents by Total Clients list. Fingers crossed. 
• We may fail to get to it again, but our goal is to compile our complete list of agencies with non-combine draftees; agencies with combine draftees who went undrafted; top training facilities for the draft; top agencies, both for the draft and going back 10 years; and the draft by the numbers. Another busy scouting week puts everything in jeopardy, but we hope your patience is rewarded. To review our previous years’ work, click here.
• Make sure you’re monitoring our regular features, like the Scouting Changes Grid, and following us on Twitter at @Insidetheleague.

It’s going to be another busy week, perhaps a hard one for scouts who are left on the street, but an exciting one for those who are moving up. There’s so much going on that you’ll miss something if you don’t have a little help. We can be of assistance.