The Philadelphia Eagles are heading into a pivotal season in 2024.
After rumors of locker room disputes and disagreements with coaching styles and systems, Nick Sirianni found himself on the hot seat after the Eagles premature exit from the NFC Playoffs after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wildcard Roud.
Instead of moving on from Sirianni, who led the Eagles to the Super Bowl following the 2022 season, the Philadelphia brass met with the head coach as he presented a plan for the future. His first step was firing both the offensive and defensive coordinators from the 2023 staff.
While the Philadelphia Eagles are still searching for the right offensive coordinator to mesh with Sirrani’s background and can also maximize franchise QB’s Jalen Hurts’ skillset, they filled their defensive coordinator vacancy fairly quickly,
In a surprising move, Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio — who led Miami to finish the year with the No. 10 defense in the league despite a wave of key injuries — decided to mutually part ways with the franchise.
Sirianni and the Eagles didn’t waste any time scooping up the 65-year-old longtime brilliant defensive mind.
Fangio served as a consultant for Philly late last season as they made their run to the Super Bowl.
During the two-week stint with the Eagles leading up to the Super Bowl, Fangio helped the Eagles offense prepare for the Chiefs’ defense. Fangio was involved with self-scouting and other projects with his two-week contract.
Sirianni talked about the move to hire Vic Fangio as the team’s next defensive coordinator.
“Obviously when he was around last year during the end of the season, that was a unique opportunity to have a guy help us look at some different things the way a defensive coach’s perspective on it,” Sirianni said back in October when the Eagles were preparing to face the Dolphins. “Then Jonathan (Gannon) being able to bounce some things off of him and me being able to bounce some things off him as the head coach.
“I really value the relationship that I was able to develop with Coach Fangio. Great person. Great football mind.”
New Philadelphia Eagles DC Vic Fangio Disliked By Several Former Players, Could Create Further Issues For Sirianni
The last thing Nick Sirianni needs is a defensive coordinator that will create more issues within the locker room in 2024.
Just this year, Eagles players saw fans lined up outside the NovaCare Complex with trash cans labeled with player’s names and fans holding signs demanding the firing of their defensive coordinator at the time, Sean Desai.
No one knows the whole story of why Matt Patricia replaced Sean Desai midseason on the sideline for play-calling duties either. As the team fell apart toward the back half of 2023, there was also a reported feud on the offensive side of the ball as well involving the dissatisfaction of the Philadelphia Eagles most prized Pro Bowl wide receiver, A.J. Brown. Even Devonta Smith said he was “not happy” with the offense at one point.
So is Vic Fangio the right coordinator to help fix the culture? According to reactions from his former players when the DC abruptly parted ways with Miami, there’s absolutely reason for concern.
Right after the Fangio news broke, Dolphins safety Javon Holland took to social media posting a cryptic message appearing to tell his former coordinator to “go kick rocks.”
Jevon Holland just posted a video on him kicking rocks😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/DIBJcpFoSf
— King of Phinland🐬👑 (@KingOfPhinland) January 24, 2024
That same day, Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith just posted an unlocked emoji as well,
Many people believe internal issues created a divide in the Eagles 2023 locker room which led to their late slump after a strong start to the year.
Sirianni has to get the culture fixed if he wants to save his job and the team, but reports about Fangio are concerning to say the least.
In an interview Sports Radio 94WIP NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus on spoke about the Dolphins locker room, and he said, ““There were quite a few players on the team that didn’t necessarily get along with Vic Fangio.”
Only time will tell if Fangio is the right fit for the Philadelphia Eagles, but the last thing Sirianni needs is more issues in the locker room in 2024.