While the Dolphins defense improved towards the end of the season, culminating in their best performance of the year against the Bills in the Wildcard round, the team decided to move on from Josh Boyer and, ultimately, the Flores defense. It had to be done. While Boyer deserves some slack for all the injuries to key players in our secondary, he struggled to adapt and, overall, the defense was very underwhelming this year.
The Dolphins have interviewed at least four candidates for the DC opening:
Vic Fangio - Longtime defensive coordinator who is currently a consultant with the Eagles
Sean Desai - Associate head coach and defensive assistant in Seattle
Kris Richard - New Orleans co-defensive coordinator
Anthony Campanile - Dolphins linebackers coach
Richard interviewed with the Dolphins in 2019 for the open HC position that eventually went to Flores so it's no surprise they reached out to him now. I don't know much about Desai but he seems to have impressed in both Chicago and Seattle. Fangio is obviously the belle of the ball and he'll be a dream signing for whichever team lands him. There were reports that McDaniel wanted to bring in Fangio last offseason, but Fangio decided to take a year off after being let go as HC of the Broncos. Carolina interviewed him, and he has ties to the Panthers and their new HC Frank Reich. Fangio was the franchise's first DC and seems to have had a good relationship over the years with Reich who was their QB at the time. It's plausible Fangio could consider San Fran as it looks like their DC, DeMeco Ryans, could leave for a HC gig. The Eagles could lose their DC Jonathan Gannon, so replacing him with Fangio could be a smooth transition in Philly for everyone involved. Ryans and Gannon have been linked heavily to the Texans job, so it seems likely one of them could get it.
The Dolphins have decided to go all in with this roster and Tua so an experienced DC with a proven track record is far and away the best option over unknowns, even if those unknowns have shown a lot of promise. Another positive with Fangio is that he may not have any interest in being a HC again, which means Miami could lock him up long term. It seems inevitable that Desai and Richard will get their shots at HC sooner rather than later, especially if they find success in Miami.
My fingers are crossed for Fangio. Miami's offense ranked top 10 this past season and could certainly replicate that in year two in McDaniel's scheme. Adding Fangio would set my expectations for next year through the roof, which is uncharted territory over the last 20 years. The heartbreak is inevitable, but at least hiring Fangio would give us all something to be very excited for until the hammer falls.
While the Dolphins defense improved towards the end of the season, culminating in their best performance of the year against the Bills in the Wildcard round, the team decided to move on from Josh Boyer and, ultimately, the Flores defense. It had to be done. While Boyer deserves some slack for all the injuries to key players in our secondary, he struggled to adapt and, overall, the defense was very underwhelming this year.
The Dolphins have interviewed at least four candidates for the DC opening:
Richard interviewed with the Dolphins in 2019 for the open HC position that eventually went to Flores so it's no surprise they reached out to him now. I don't know much about Desai but he seems to have impressed in both Chicago and Seattle. Fangio is obviously the belle of the ball and he'll be a dream signing for whichever team lands him. There were reports that McDaniel wanted to bring in Fangio last offseason, but Fangio decided to take a year off after being let go as HC of the Broncos. Carolina interviewed him, and he has ties to the Panthers and their new HC Frank Reich. Fangio was the franchise's first DC and seems to have had a good relationship over the years with Reich who was their QB at the time. It's plausible Fangio could consider San Fran as it looks like their DC, DeMeco Ryans, could leave for a HC gig. The Eagles could lose their DC Jonathan Gannon, so replacing him with Fangio could be a smooth transition in Philly for everyone involved. Ryans and Gannon have been linked heavily to the Texans job, so it seems likely one of them could get it.
The Dolphins have decided to go all in with this roster and Tua so an experienced DC with a proven track record is far and away the best option over unknowns, even if those unknowns have shown a lot of promise. Another positive with Fangio is that he may not have any interest in being a HC again, which means Miami could lock him up long term. It seems inevitable that Desai and Richard will get their shots at HC sooner rather than later, especially if they find success in Miami.
My fingers are crossed for Fangio. Miami's offense ranked top 10 this past season and could certainly replicate that in year two in McDaniel's scheme. Adding Fangio would set my expectations for next year through the roof, which is uncharted territory over the last 20 years. The heartbreak is inevitable, but at least hiring Fangio would give us all something to be very excited for until the hammer falls.