The 2026 season will be the start of a new era for the Atlanta Falcons as they already have a new head coach in Kevin Stefanski, and are currently in the process for a new general manager. With every change that comes from the top, it’s not uncommon to see other members of the organization leave, especially if they may not be retained by the new regime.
Well, while the Falcons have retained some of their defensive coaches such as Jeff Ulbrich and Justin Hood, the front office takes a bit of a hit with a loss that has been reported by Tom Pelissero.
According to Pelissero, the Dolphins are hiring Kyle Smith from the Falcons as their new assistant general manager. Smith had the same role in Atlanta, but will now head down to south beach to work with Jon-Eric Sullivan, who was just hired as the Dolphins' general manager not too long ago.
The Dolphins are hiring Kyle Smith as their assistant GM, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 23, 2026
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
Ian Rapoport then posted that Smith was the VP of Player Personnel with the Commanders and has helped the Falcons in the front office.
Falcons will have a brand new general manager regime after losing Kyle Smith
Coming from the Terry Fontenot era, it’s no surprise to see the Falcons letting Smith walk as they are trying to go in a different direction. However, Smith has done a great job with scouting for the Falcons and Commanders, and now he will take that ability to the Dolphins in the AFC East.
It may not seem like a huge loss, but it is. Losing someone who has a strong scouting background is hard to replace. Especially with this upcoming draft where the Falcons currently don’t have a first round pick, having someone like Smith would have taken some pressure off of the team. So now, the Falcons not only need to find their next general manager, but also an assistant for them.