The Miami Dolphins and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio officially parted ways Wednesday, ending Fangio’s brief time leading the franchise’s defense after just one season. What the future holds for both sides remains to be seen, but an early favorite to land Fangio’s services has emerged.
Could Vic Fangio Join Philadelphia Eagles’ Staff?
News of Fangio’s departure emerged on Wednesday afternoon and was confirmed by the team shortly after the news broke. The Dolphins posted a statement from head coach Mike McDaniel to the team’s Twitter account discussing the parting of ways.
“I want to thank Vic for his contributions in 2023,” McDaniel’s statement read. “When we assessed the season, it became apparent that this was the best path forward for all parties involved. Now, we turn our focus to 2024 and beyond with urgency as we identify the best candidate to lead our defense moving forward. We remain steadfastly committed to the development of our players and to building a winning team with sustained success.”
It’s a move that was not entirely unexpected in the NFL world, despite Miami’s success this season.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that Fangio will now be the Philadelphia Eagles’ “top target” to fill their defensive coordinator position and that a deal is expected. Schefter also said that Miami is “allowing Fangio to leave to be closer to his family in Pennsylvania.”
The team wasted no time, and on Thursday morning, it was reported that Fangio would be traveling to Philadelphia to officially sign his contract to become the team’s next defensive coordinator.
Former Dolphins’ defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is traveling to Philadelphia this morning to officially sign the contract to become the Eagles’ new defensive coordinator, per league source. Eagles officially get their man. pic.twitter.com/jnBBTkhvas
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024
The Eagles and Fangio reportedly had a mutual interest in working together in 2023, though the timing ultimately did not work out. It appears to have this time around.
Philadelphia seemed likely to make a change at defensive coordinator all along. The Eagles faltered from a 10-1 start to the season, losing six of their last seven games amid plenty of struggles, particularly on defense. They surrendered the third-most points of any NFL team in the regular season at 428, better than only two 4-13 teams in the Arizona Cardinals (455) and Washington Commanders (518).
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Philadelphia made it into the playoffs as the NFC’s No. 5 seed before suffering a 32-9 first-round loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Eagles’ defensive struggles motivated them to make some midseason changes to try and turn the tide. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai began the year handling play-calling duties, but senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia took over late in the season amid the team’s defensive woes.
Neither was able to right the ship adequately, and Desai was fired following the season with Patricia reportedly set to “pursue other opportunities” as his contract ended following the year.
With both Desai and Patricia headed out, bringing in Fangio to lead Philadelphia’s defense could make sense for Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Co.; it’s a move Sirianni’s job could depend on as Philadelphia might decide to look elsewhere at head coach if the franchise’s struggles continue in 2024.
Fangio’s Dolphins ranked in the bottom half of the league’s defenses with 391 points allowed. Miami’s yardage totals were not quite so bad, however, as they surrendered just the seventh-fewest rushing yards in the league at 1,650 yards and the 15th-fewest passing yards at 3,761 yards, adding up to the 10th-best unit in the league by yards allowed at 5,411 yards.
Those metrics alongside Fangio’s track record as a defensive coordinator could make him the right man to get things rolling back in the right direction for the Eagles.
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