The Buffalo Bills have become the first NFL team to hire a woman as a full-time assistant coach, the team confirmed Wednesday.
The team hired Kathryn Smith as a special teams quality control coach, as first reported by Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio.
BREAKING: Kathryn Smith is the Bills new special teams quality control coach, the first full-time female NFL coach! pic.twitter.com/r2MkWX4pR3
— Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) January 21, 2016
The move comes after the Arizona Cardinals hired Jen Welter to work with the team's linebackers during training camp in 2015. That position was not full time, and Welter did not stay with the team beyond the preseason.
Smith worked as an administrative assistant for head coach Rex Ryan for the past two seasons and spent seven seasons as a New York Jets player personnel assistant.
