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Report: Fangio Joining Dolphins After All

Vic Fangio officially will join the Miami Dolphins coaching staff after the Super Bowl

Alain Poupart

Report: Fangio Joining Dolphins After All
Report: Fangio Joining Dolphins After All /
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After a bizarre twist, the Miami Dolphins got their man to run their defense after all.

Vic Fangio has decided to accept the Miami Dolphins offer to become their new defensive coordinator after speaking with multiple teams, according to report by ESPN's Adam Schefter. Nothing will be made official until after the Super Bowl so Fangio can finish out the season in his role as consultant with the NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles..

The report comes four days after a national report, later confirmed by a league source, that Fangio had agreed to terms with the Dolphins, only to have Fangio later tell two longtime NFL reporters he had not made a final decision.

The Dolphins interviewed at least four candidates for the position, with the other confirmed candidates including Sean Desai, Kris Richard and current Dolphins linebackers coach Anthony Campanile.

Fangio will replace Josh Boyer, who was fired Jan. 19 after serving as Dolphins DC the past three seasons after replacing Patrick Graham in 2020.

Boyer was retained by the Dolphins last year after they hired Mike McDaniel as head coach, though word was that McDaniel wanted to bring in Fangio last year.

Now he got his guy ... after all.

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FOR EVEN MORE COVERAGE ON THE MIAMI DOLPHINS, CHECK OUT SPORTS ILLUSTRATED'S MIAMI DOLPHINS PAGE ON SI.COM

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FANGIO'S IMPRESSIVE NFL RESUME

Before he was a consultant with the Eagles and head coach of the Denver Broncos from 2019-21, Fangio served as a defensive coordinator in the NFL for 19 years with five different teams — the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears.

His defenses have finished in the top 10 in fewest yards allowed eight times, including his last season as a DC with the Bears in 2018 when they were third.

In May 2022, The Athletic called Fangio "the most influential DC in modern NFL" and broke down his system, which features two deep safeties and a lot of pre-snap disguising, among other things.

In a 2019 ESPN story, former McDaniel colleagues Sean McVay, Matt LaFleur and Kyle Shanahan all were asked to name the coach with the toughest defense to read and attack. All three named Fangio.

DOLPHINS DCs THROUGH THE YEARS

Fangio becomes the 17th different coach hired as defensive coordinator, including Bill Arnsparger, who had two stints, and Lou Anarumo, who was an interim DC in 2015 after replacing Kevin Coyle early in the season.

Fangio is the fourth former NFL head coach (not including interim posts) hired as Dolphins defensive coordinator following Bill Arnsparger in 1976, Dom Capers in 2006 and Mike Nolan in 2010.

THE COMPLETE LIST

1970-73 — Bill Arnsparger

1974 — Vince Costello

1976-83 — Bill Arnsparger

1984-86 — Chuck Studley

1987-95 — Tom Olivadotti

1996-99 — George Hill

2000-04 — Jim Bates

2005 — Richard Smith

2006-07 — Dom Capers

2008-09 — Paul Pasqualoni

2010-11 — Mike Nolan

2012-15 — Kevin Coyle

2016 — Vance Joseph

2017-18 — Matt Burke

2019 — Patrick Graham

2020-22 — Josh Boyer

2023 — Vic Fangio

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Alain Poupart
ALAIN POUPART

Alain Poupart is the publisher/editor of All Dolphins and co-host of the All Dolphins Podcast. Alain has covered the Miami Dolphins on a full-time basis since 1989 for various publications and media outlets, including Dolphin Digest, The Associated Press, the Dolphins team website, and the Fan Nation Network (part of Sports Illustrated). In addition to being a credentialed member of the Miami Dolphins press corps, Alain has covered three Super Bowls (for NFL.com, Football News and the Montreal Gazette), the annual NFL draft, the Senior Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine. During his almost 40 years in journalism, which began at the now-defunct Miami News, Alain has covered practically every sport at one time or another, from tennis to golf, baseball, basketball and everything in between. The career also included time as a copy editor, including work on several books such as "Still Perfect," an inside look at the Miami Dolphins' 1972 perfect season. A native of Montreal, Canada, whose first language is French, Alain grew up a huge hockey fan but soon developed a love for all sports, including NFL football. He has lived in South Florida since the 1980s.

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