Buffalo Bills Hire Kathryn Smith as First Full-Time Female Coach in the NFL

The Buffalo Bills didn't make the playoffs this year, which means their preparation for next season has already begun. The front office will evaluate the team, and make decisions based on what they think they need. And apparently, one thing they needed was a new face on special teams. They hired Kathryn Smith as a special teams quality control coach, effectively making her the NFL's first full-time female coach.

Smith has a number of years of experience in and around the NFL, as well as something of a pre-existing relationship with Bills head coach Rex Ryan, as she served 12 years with the New York Jets--six of those years with Ryan.

"Kathryn Smith has done an outstanding job in the seven years that she has worked with our staff," Rex Ryan said in a statement. "She certainly deserves this promotion based on her knowledge and strong commitment, just to name a couple of her outstanding qualities, and I just know she's going to do a great job serving in the role of Quality Control-Special Teams.

"Kathryn has been working in a football administrative role and assisted the assistant coaches for years. She has proven that she's ready for the next step, so I'm excited and proud for her with this opportunity. She will work with [special teams coordinator] Danny Crossman and [special teams assistant] Eric Smith involving a number of responsibilities."

According to ESPN, Smith began her career in the NFL with the Jets as a game-day/special events intern in 2003. In 2005 she was named a college scouting intern, before being named a player personnel assistant two years later.

While Smith is the first full-time female to hold a coaching position in the NFL, she's not the first to be involved in a coaching position. That honor goes to Jen Welter, who was hired by the Arizona Cardinals as an assistant coaching intern for training camp and preseason to work with inside linebackers. And even though she was let go at the end of the internship and didn't coach in a regular season game, she helped lay the foundation for Smith's hiring.