Not a whole lot went great for the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, but the defense was completely different.
It wasn't the smoothest start for the Eagles' defense at the beginning of the season, but after the bye week and the additions of Jaelan Phillips and Brandon Graham, the unit turned its season around and finished 13th in yards allowed and fifth in points allowed. The architect behind that great defense was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who continues to coach one of the best defenses in the NFL.
Fangio got recognized for that work as he was nominated for AP Assistant Coach of the Year. This is the second straight season he has been nominated for the award, and he previously won it in 2018 with the Chicago Bears as their defensive coordinator.
Vic Fangio has been exactly what the Eagles needed the last two seasons
While 2025 wasn't as good as 2024, Fangio arguably did a better job in 2025 under the circumstances of the season. He didn't have much help from the offense, which was one of the worst in the NFL and also had one of the youngest defenses in the league.
Fangio was able to turn second-year cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean into Pro Bowlers and All-Pro selections. Eagles linebacker Zack Baun and defensive tackle Jalen Carter also each got Pro Bowl selections for the second straight season.
More importantly, Fangio developed multiple first-year starters and turned them into impact players. Guys like Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, rookie Jihaad Campbell, and rookie Andrew Mukuba proved they can be starters in the NFL with a little more development in their games.
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There has not been an assistant coach on the Eagles who has made this kind of impact on a team, probably since Jim Schwartz during our first Super Bowl title run. Fangio will no doubt go down as one of the best assistants this franchise has ever had, and Eagles fans can only pray he sticks around for a long time.