This is another challenge for Vic Fangio, and that is what he loves more than anything. Learning about his players. Helping them, along with his excellent defensive coaching staff, become the best players they can be. Finding the right ways to have them excel.
Putting all the pieces into an Eagles defensive puzzle that can win every week of the 2026 season.
"I still like doing it. I like the group of guys we have," Fangio said, saying he expects to remain in his defensive coordinator position here for at least two more seasons. The Pro Football Writers Association honored Fangio with the 2026 Paul "Dr. Z" Zimmerman Award, recognizing the outstanding lifetime achievements of an assistant coach. "I like working with them. I still like the challenge of the job, work for a good organization."
There is an ongoing challenge, as is the case every year. The Eagles have some new personnel to work with, some positions to evaluate, and some pieces to move around. The concepts that have worked for Fangio for so long aren't going to change much, but he will continue to tweak, to evolve, to adapt.
That's the fun part – fitting everything together, maneuvering from week to week, and then winning in the course of 60 minutes. There are few who have ever done it better than Fangio, who has a lot to work with in his third season as the Eagles' defensive coordinator.
What do we know about the defense in these early days of June with the Eagles' Minicamp scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday? Let's take a look ...
1. A couple of the new pieces – outside linebacker Jonathan Greenard and cornerback Riq Woolen have Fangio excited.
On Greenard, Fangio says: "He's been a good pass rusher. He's been productive in the rush. He's had years where he's had good numbers sack-wise, but like we always discuss, pressure on the quarterback is also important and he's been able to do that throughout his career. I think he's strong on the edge versus the run game. We're excited to have him."
Fangio is also high on Woolen: "He's a rare guy in that you don't see many corners in the league that are 6-4. You don't see many that are 6-2 or even 6-1 and there's a reason for that. It's hard to find guys at those heights that can move and mirror receivers that are hard to cover. He can do that for a guy his height. He can get in and out of breaks. He obviously has good downfield speed and his length is more of an asset than a detriment in his case. I'm excited to have him. He's been here since we started the offseason. Seems to be a great guy. He's into being here and really looking forward to working with him."
2. The plan is for Cooper DeJean, an All-Pro player last season at the nickel position, to play safety in base – for context, the Eagles were in base personnel fewer than 20 percent of the time last season – and then move into the slot otherwise. Second-year man Andrew Mukuba is in line to start at safety, with veteran Marcus Epps in position to play safety when DeJean is at nickel. But make no mistake, the Eagles will challenge the position. They have a handful of other players to give long looks to throughout the summer, including Michael Carter II and Andre Sam, both of whom have been in the system.
3. Second-year linebacker Jihaad Campbell is expected to take the next step after a strong rookie campaign and, with Nakobe Dean in Las Vegas, Campbell will have every chance to start alongside Zack Baun. The Eagles have some depth there, and it's going to be fun to watch that group mature together.
4. There are some other new pieces who Fangio has to learn more about – Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka on the edge, Jonathan Jones and J.T. Gray in the secondary – and that's something to evaluate throughout Training Camp and the preseason.
Fangio holds the keys to the defense, looking for another outstanding season ahead. He joked to reporters that he is "reverse aging," music to the ears of anyone who loves the Eagles and wants Fangio here for as long as he wants command of this defense.
