Those are two big hires for the Eagles. They’re bringing in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio in hopes of fixing some of the issues that derailed them late in the season.
I don’t know about Moore. He’s had some success as an offensive coordinator, with the Cowboys averaging a league-high 29.3 points in his final two seasons there. But he’s also been let go after each of the last two seasons. Dallas actually got better offensively last year without him, while the Chargers (who ranked 21st in scoring in the just-completed season) had no interest in bringing him back.
While Moore was successful in his four seasons in Dallas, it was with a wildly different style of offense than what they’ve used in Philadelphia the last few years. If Moore tries to turn Jalen Hurts into more of a drop-back passer, that could turn sideways in a hurry. Hurts has been at his best when he’s been used extensively as a runner, creating easier options in the passing game. Moore will probably have more success if the offensive changes are more incremental.
I have more confidence in Fangio. He’s established himself as one of the premier defensive coaches in the game, with success at various franchises. Way back when, the expansion Panthers led the league in scoring defense with Fangio as their coordinator. Of his last 12 stops, two thirds of those teams have ranked in the top 10 in scoring defense.
| VIC FANGIO'S DEFENSES | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Teams | W-L | Points | Rank |
| 2011 | San Francisco | 13-3 | 229 | 2nd |
| 2012 | San Francisco | 11-4-1 | 273 | 2nd |
| 2013 | San Francisco | 12-4 | 272 | 3rd |
| 2014 | San Francisco | 8-8 | 340 | 10th |
| 2015 | Chicago | 6-10 | 397 | 20th |
| 2016 | Chicago | 3-13 | 399 | 24th |
| 2017 | Chicago | 5-11 | 320 | 9th |
| 2018 | Chicago | 12-4 | 283 | 1st |
| 2019 | Denver | 7-9 | 316 | 10th |
| 2020 | Denver | 5-11 | 446 | 25th |
| 2021 | Denver | 7-10 | 322 | 3rd |
| 2023 | Miami | 11-6 | 391 | 22nd |
If we compare those last 12 defenses to the rest of the league, only four other teams have allowed fewer points (Patriots, Seahawks, Ravens, Steelers).
| FANGIO VS. REST OF LEAGUE | |
|---|---|
| Defense | Points |
| New England | 19.4 |
| Seattle | 19.7 |
| Baltimore | 19.8 |
| Pittsburgh | 20.3 |
| Vic Fangio | 20.6 |
| Kansas City | 20.8 |
| San Francisco | 21.5 |
| Buffalo | 21.9 |
| Denver | 21.9 |
| Cincinnati | 22.1 |
| LA Rams | 22.3 |
| Dallas | 22.3 |
| Green Bay | 22.5 |
| Minnesota | 22.6 |
| Houston | 22.6 |
| Chicago | 22.6 |
| Tennessee | 22.7 |
| Arizona | 22.8 |
| New Orleans | 23.0 |
| LA Chargers | 23.1 |
| Carolina | 23.3 |
| Miami | 23.3 |
| Philadelphia | 23.4 |
| Indianapolis | 23.6 |
| Atlanta | 23.9 |
| Cleveland | 24.0 |
| NY Giants | 24.1 |
| NY Jets | 24.5 |
| Detroit | 24.6 |
| Jacksonville | 24.7 |
| Tampa Bay | 24.7 |
| Washington | 25.1 |
| Las Vegas | 26.1 |
Personnel counts too, of course. The Eagles need to add some talent at linebacker and the secondary. But assuming that happens (and it should), Fangio will get this back to being an above-average defense in short order. Landing him as a defensive coordinator is very similar to bringing in Kyle Shanahan or Sean McVay to run an offense – he will tend to be successful.
—Ian Allan