The Philadelphia Eagles are inking a new defensive coordinator on Thursday, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter. Former Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is flying to Philadelphia on Thursday to sign his new deal to take over the role vacated by Sean Desai, then Matt Patricia, after the conclusion of the 2023 season.

Fangio served as the Dolphins defensive coordinator for one season after a stint in Philadelphia as a consultant under Nick Sirianni. The Miami defense ranked 22nd in scoring defense and yards allowed per play (5.1).

Vic Fangio has nearly four decades of experience as an NFL coach. He was the head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019-21, leading them to a 19-30 record before parting ways with the franchise. During his career, Fangio has served as defensive coordinator for the 49ers, Panthers, Colts, Texans, Bears and even Stanford.

Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel released a statement on the mutual parting of ways with Fangio on Wednesday.

“I want to thank Vic for his contributions in 2023,” McDaniels said. “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 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.”

Eagles move on from Sean Desai, Matt Patricia
Sean Desai was hired by the Eagles in February to replace Jonathan Gannon, who became the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Nick Sirianni demoted Desai in favor of Matt Patricia following blowout losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys in early December.

The switch to Patricia only made things worse for the Eagles. Their defense gave up 30 points per game in their last four games, including 32 points in their Wild Card loss against Tampa Bay. The Philadelphia defense allowed the third-most points per game during the regular season (25.2). The unit also ranked 30th in both red zone and third-down defense. The Eagles allowed 35 passing touchdowns, ranking them second most in the league in that category.