Broncos fire head coach Vic Fangio, could Rams target him as defensive coordinator?

The Denver Broncos became the third team to have a vacant head coaching position on Sunday after announcing that they are parting with Vic Fangio. The Broncos finished the season at 7-10 after losing to the Kansas City Chiefs on Saturday, Fangio’s third losing campaign in three seasons with Denver.

The chances that Fangio gets another head coaching position this year seem slim, but he makes a lot of sense as a popular candidate to become a defensive coordinator again. Will the LA Rams have an opening and could Fangio make sense as Sean McVay’s next DC?

Prior to being hired by the Broncos in 2019, Fangio had 19 years of experience as a defensive coordinator following stints with the Carolina Panthers (1995-1998), Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001), Houston Texans (2002-2005), San Francisco 49ers (2011-2014), and Chicago Bears (2015-2018). It is with the Bears that Fangio mentored Brandon Staley, LA’s defensive coordinator in 2020.

Sean McVay employed Wade Phillips as the DC from 2017-2019, then Staley for one season, and most recently Raheem Morris for 2021. The Rams are 14th in points allowed, 16th in yards allowed, but do rank fifth in DVOA on defense; at FootballOutsiders, the 2021 defense is actually not much different year over year. Morris might entertain head coaching interviews in the coming weeks, including with the Denver Broncos.

However, the Rams are 12-0 this season when they hold an opponent to 24 points or less and 0-4 when they do not, so any defensive lapses tend to stand out. The other issue being that those four games are against the Packers, Cardinals, 49ers, and Titans, teams that LA needs to likely defeat in any playoffs scenario. Could McVay look for another new hire to run the defense next year?

Fangio’s resume has hit the pile. It shouldn’t be there for long.