Getty Image / Jurgen Kessler
It’s been a terrible finish to the NFL season for the Miami Dolphins. After the team got off to a great start and looked like a Super Bowl contender for most of the season, they struggled heavily down the stretch and were eliminated in an AFC Wild Card Round blowout against the Chiefs.
Now, one of the best defensive coordinators in the NFL in Vic Fangio is leaving the team, joining the Philadelphia Eagles in the same role.
Former #Dolphins DC Vic Fangio is likely to land with the #Eagles, per @AdamSchefter. He was there in 2022 as a consultant. Philly wanted to keep him to replace Jonathan Gannon, but it wasn't so simple since he committed to Miami.
Philly could be getting him back. https://t.co/QjQFN5KWZi
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 24, 2024
The Eagles fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai following their first-round playoff exit and terrible finish to the season, after he was stripped of his play calling duties in early December in favor of Matt Patricia.
Fangio is a Pennsylvania native, so I presume this move has something to do with wanting to be closer to family. But, this is still a huge loss for the Miami Dolphins.
The Dolphins defense was never close to healthy all season long, but he still kept it together into around a league average unit, as they ranked 19th in defensive DVOA this season. They showed flashes of greatness, but it seemed like a unit was always missing a few players, limiting Fangio’s renowned ability as one of the best defensive pressure schemers in the NFL.
Superstar cornerback Jalen Ramsey missed the first seven weeks of the season, and when he came back, the defense turned into one of the top units in the league. But, season-ending injuries to two of their top pass-rushers in Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips down the stretch, plus injuries at linebackers, never gave Fangio all the weapons that could’ve had this team a truly elite defense.
Dolphins fans surely had to be looking forward to a full year of Fangio with healthier players next year, but they’re not going to get it, it seems. It’s a team that especially needs a strong defensive coordinator, as Head Coach Mike McDaniel is an offensive guru with little experience on the defensive side of the ball. Fangio served as the de-facto head coach of the defense in Miami. That will be tough to replace.
Fangio has been coaching in the NFL for nearly 40 years, and was the head coach in Denver from 2019-2021. He’s led renowned defenses with the Panthers in the mid-90s, the 49ers in the early 2010’s, and with the Bears from 2015-2018. Before being hired by Miami, Fangio spent the 2022 season as a consultant to the Eagles, ultimately helping the team reach the Super Bowl.
As for the Philadelphia Eagles, this is a huge upgrade over the brain trust of Sean Desai and Matt Patricia. Make no mistake, the team needs huge upgrades in the back seven, especially at safety and inside linebacker. But, Fangio should be able to get more out of the unit than the team had this year, and it will be fascinating to see how he deploys some of the good players on the Eagles’ defensive line.