Philadelphia Eagles hire Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - The Philadelphia Eagles' search for a new defensive coordinator did not last long. On Saturday, the Eagles welcomed Vic Fangio as their next defensive coordinator.
Fangio served as the Dolphins' defensive coordinator last season, but Miami reportedly allowed him to leave to be closer to his family.
The 65-year-old Fangio is from Dunmore, Pennsylvania, just outside Scranton and roughly two and a half hours from Philadelphia. He's a huge Phillies fan, and told The Athletic's Jon Greenberg in 2017 that he doesn't "go to sleep at night until I know whether the Phillies won or lost, even if they're on the West Coast."
When asked about ESPN's report that Fangio was leaving Miami during his end-of-season press conference, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said: "We've got a lot of good targets that we're working through, and there are a lot of guys that have done really well in their interview process, and I look forward to continuing on that process. We'll see what happens."
Fangio is no stranger to the Eagles and Sirianni. He served as a consultant for the Eagles during the preseason and before Super Bowl LVII in the 2022-23 season.
The Eagles lost defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon after the Super Bowl when Gannon left for the Arizona Cardinals head coaching job. By that time, Fangio had already left for the Miami job.
Sirianni ended up hiring Sean Desai as Gannon's replacement. Desai subscribed to the Fangio defensive philosophy, but Sirianni stripped him of his play calling duties, elevating Matt Patricia as the de facto defensive coordinator when the Eagles were 10-3. Both Desai and Patricia will not be back with the Eagles in 2024.
Fangio adds years of experience to Sirianni's coaching staff - he also served as the Denver Broncos' head coach from 2019 to 2021. He's been coaching football since 1979, starting out as a linebackers coach at his alma mater, Dunmore High School. He eventually climbed the coaching ranks of the NFL as a defensive assistant, linebackers coach and then defensive coordinator.
During Fangio's only season as Miami's D-coordinator, the Dolphins' defense dealt with injuries to Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey and their top edge rushers Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb and Andrew Van Ginkel.
Yet, Fangio's Miami defense still ranked 10th in the NFL in total yards allowed, eighth in takeaways, seventh against the run and 15th against the pass. The Dolphins allowed 23 points per game under Fangio, 11th-worst in the NFL.
Philadelphia beat Miami and Fangio's defense, 31-17, in October.
Sirianni was also asked Wednesday if the Eagles still believe in the Fangio defensive scheme.
"We're looking for the guy who is the best person for the job, and that can be – there are many different systems that work," Sirianni said. "There are many different systems that work well. We're looking for the guy who's going to be best for the job that can utilize the skills that our players have so they can play at their highest level."
Three days later, the Eagles now have the man behind the scheme as their defensive coordinator.