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Marcel Louis JacquesESPN
MIAMI – Former Denver Broncos head coach Vic Fangio has reached an agreement with the Miami Dolphins to become the team’s defensive coordinator, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Fangio, 64, sat out this season after Denver fired him last January.
Fangio was 19-30 in three seasons as the Broncos’ coach after being hired in 2019. He’ll line up at outside linebacker in Miami. Bradley ChubbHe coached in Denver and was traded to the Dolphins last season.
NFL Network first reported that Fangio and the Dolphins had reached an agreement.
Fangio’s defenses have finished in the top 10 eight times, most recently against the Chicago Bears (No. 3) in 2018. The Broncos finished eighth overall in 2019, his final season as head coach. He has 19 seasons of experience as a defensive coordinator with the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Houston Texans, San Francisco 49ers and Bears.
The Dolphins fired defensive coordinator Josh Boyer earlier this month. When Mike McDaniel was hired as the Dolphins’ head coach last year, he made Boyer his defensive coordinator.
Miami had the league’s fourth-best run defense in 2022, but ranked 21st in points average defense, 22nd in sacks, 24th in points allowed per game and third-lowest in pass percentage. The defense, which recorded top 10 carries in each of the last two seasons, struggled to create turnovers last season, finishing with just 14 carries — tied for second fewest in the NFL.
Fangio joins a defense with several Pro Bowl-caliber players, including a former All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard And alternate Jevon Holland, Christian Wilkins and Chubb.
He is now the third coach on McDaniels’ staff with head coaching experience, joining quarterbacks coach and running backs coach Darrell Bevel and tight ends/assistant head coach Jon Imre.