The Philadelphia Eagles were elated this offseason to land defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to replace Matt Patricia. However, in the weeks since Fangio’s hiring, more information is coming out about what led to his split with the Miami Dolphins.
Just a year ago, Miami landing Fangio was viewed as one of the best hires of the 2023 NFL offseason. The belief was the well-respected defensive coordinator would maximize the Dolphins’ talented cornerbacks and pass rush to create one of the best defenses in football.
Related: Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator seemingly rips Vic Fangio
While Miami’s defense played like a top-10 unit in the second half of the season, the Dolphins agreed to part ways with Fangio days after being knocked out of the playoffs. He immediately landed in Philadelphia, but reporting and comments in recent weeks paint a worrying picture of what happened in Miami.
Following reports that Fangio wouldn’t collaborate with the Dolphins defensive coaching staff and caused friction with players, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey now seems to be taking a shot at his former defensive play-caller.
Following the release of teammate Xavien Howard, Ramsey tweeted a goodbye to Howard with a note that he “won’t ever forgive the dude” for not utilizing the Dolphins’ cornerbacks’ full skillsets.
While Ramsey doesn’t directly name Fangio, the widespread opinion in Miami seemed to be that Fangio poorly utilized Ramsey and Howard last season. Between that and his lack of cooperation with other coaches on the staff, including a lack of collaboration with Mike McDaniel, the decision to make a change was easy for Miami.
Related: Details on the cause of Vic Fangio’s split with the Miami Dolphins
Philadelphia remains excited about Fangio’s addition, reuniting with the veteran defensive mind who served as an advisor during the 2022 Super Bowl run. However, this is the same Eagles locker room that had issues with finger-pointing last year and tensions could be even higher next season with head coach Nick Sirianni on the hot seat.
At the very least, it’s become clear why the Dolphins were very willing to let Fangio leave for another NFL contender in 2024. Considering Fangio’s defenses have a history of getting off to slow starts, his reputation among players could be something to monitor if the Eagles struggle early next season.
