6 Eagles Defenders on Thin Ice After Vic Fangio Hiring

The Sean Desai move didn’t work out very well for the Philadelphia Eagles. After hiring him as the defensive coordinator to replace Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles defense took a step in the wrong direction. They tried to repair things late in the year when they quietly demoted Desai and had Matt Patricia take over defensive play-calling.

That went about as well as anyone who followed Patricia’s career outside of New England would have expected. It started with his unit being torched by Drew Lock and it never got better.

In the offseason, the Eagles decided the best move was to let Desai go and in came Vic Fangio. A long-time NFL coach, Fangio should help bring stability to the defense. But there are a few players who are now on thin ice with him taking over.

6. Shaq Leonard, LB

During the season, Shaq Leonard was let go by the Indianapolis Colts and the Eagles and Dallas Cowboys fought to land him. The former All-Pro linebacker wound up in Philly but wasn’t much of a factor at all.

He was visibly slowed down by previous back injuries which left the Eagles vulnerable in the middle of the defense. Now heading into 2024, Leonard is once again scheduled for free agency. He might have hoped to parlay some success down the stretch into another contract but instead, might be looking for a one-year deal to prove he can still get the job done.

And it’s highly unlikely that deal comes under Fangio based on what we saw down the stretch.