Getty Image / Peter Joneleit
The Miami Dolphins had a rollercoaster season in 2022.
The team spent long stretches without its starting quarterback and went on long winning and losing streaks during the regular season.
While the team lacked consistency, it still seemed there was one unit that clearly needed an upgrade.
Today, that unit got its upgrade as the Dolphins hired Vic Fangio to be their new defensive coordinator.
After speaking with multiple teams about their defensive coordinator position, Vic Fangio has decided to join the Dolphins as their defensive coordinator and officially will accept the position on the Miami staff after the Super Bowl.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 2, 2023
Fangio had been linked with a few other jobs before signing on with the Dolphins. Even before defensive coordinator positions started opening up, there were reports that Sean Payton wanted him to join a “dream team” coaching staff wherever he ended up.
As recently as this week, Fangio was reportedly a target for the San Francisco 49ers after they lost DeMeco Ryans to the Houston Texans’ head coaching job.
Fangio has a lengthy history as a defensive coordinator in the NFL that dates all the way back to a 3 year stint with the Colts from 1999-2001.
In recent years, he has been a part of putting together some of the league’s best defenses. He was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers when they made it to the Super Bowl in 2012.
He then headed to Chicago and helped the Bears become a playoff team behind the strength of their defense.
He turned that success as a defensive coordinator into a chance tube a head coach for the Denver Broncos, but could never get the team’s offense to a point that it could compete in the AFC West.
Still, he has proven over the years that he is a strong defensive coordinator and he should be able to improve the Dolphins on that side of the ball after their offense took big strides this past season.