Well, that escalated quickly. Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that Vic Fangio has been fired by the Miami Dolphins and a ‘deal is expected’ for him to join the Philadelphia Eagles.
Eagles set to land Vic Fangio
This report came out while Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni were talking to reporters for the first time since their disappointing defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Monday. It’s interesting that this press conference was actually delayed because both Roseman and Sirianni were ‘in a meeting’. If you connect the dots, it’s very possible that the meeting could’ve been either about, or with Vic Fangio.
The Philadelphia Eagles have been besotted with Vic Fangio for a while, and he was actually their original target to replace Jonathan Gannon one year ago. The ‘tampering’ scandal happened which afforded Fangio a window to sign elsewhere, and he landed in Miami. In his place, the Eagles hired a Fangio ‘disciple’ in Sean Desai.
Who is Vic Fangio?
One of the most renowned defensive coaches of the modern era, Fangio reportedly worked for the Eagles as a defensive assistant last year before signing a two-week contract with the team to help prepare them for the Super Bowl. This was important because Fangio has played frequently against both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes as a former Head Coach of the Denver Broncos.
Fangio’s defenses have been some of the best in the modern age of football. They have finished in the top 10 eight times, most recently with Chicago (No. 3) in 2018. The Broncos finished eighth overall in 2021, his final season as their head coach. The Miami defense he coached in 2023 finished 11th.
He was also named AP NFL Assistant Coach of the year in 2018 when he coordinated the Chicago Bears defense. With over 35 years of coaching experience to his name, it’s hard to doubt his prowess.
Bringing Fangio in would allow the Eagles to continue with their current core of players. There wouldn’t need to be major schematic adjustments as much as there would need to be a few tweaks from the man whose back Desai’s playbook was built off. It’s not the worst decision in the world. If the Eagles want to run a Fangio defense, hiring Fangio himself makes a ton of sense.
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire
