On The Eagles Heading Into Week 1: A Peek Behind The Curtain Of Vic Fangio's Success

The perception around the league is that the Eagles defensive coordinator stays ahead of the curve even as his two-high coverages, behind light-box principles have been copied across the league.

Aug 28, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio before action against the Cincinnati Bengals at Lincoln Financial Field. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHILADELPHIA — Vic Fangio has spent the past four decades making NFL offenses look a step slow on game days. 

The perception around the league is that the Eagles defensive coordinator stays ahead of the curve even as his two-high coverages behind light-box principles have been copied across the league.

Fangio rejected that framing earlier this week as the Eagles prepare to open the 2026 season by hosting NFC East-rival Washington at Lincoln Financial Field on Sunday.

“I think it’s more [about] not staying ahead, but adjusting quickly,” Fangio said. “You see something that somebody’s doing, and because it’s a copycat league, guys will copy things that they see as successful, particularly offensively. 

Adapt and Adjust

Jun 10, 2026; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Cooper DeJean (33) runs a drill during minicamp at Jefferson Health Training Complex. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“They will do that probably more so than defense as well. And it’ll make you think and you got to be ready to adapt and adjust.”

The well-regarded defensive mind said: “I feel good about our system, the way we play, that it’s very adaptable.”

That adaptability has defined Fangio’s recent run in Philadelphia, which has produced two top-tier defenses and again looks like the strength of the team entering the season opener. 

Fangio’s system became the most copied in the NFL after he  introduced a 6-1 front that helped throttle Sean McVay’s explosive LA Rams team in 2018.

Since then, Fangio has watched the league adopt versions of his scheme time and time again. 

The response has been that aforementioned adaptability. Offenses borrow what works from the McVay types; Fangio studies the new wrinkle and shifts coverage shells, fronts, or pressures before the opponents can settle into their plans.

The process has resulted in some of the best defenses over the last two decades in multiple cities.

Fangio declined to pick a single winner when asked about his own best defense.

“Oh man. You’re going to have ex-players – some happy with me and a bunch of them unhappy with me if I answer that question,” he smiled. “There’s been, in recent history — I’ll eliminate the first 20 years of the 40 years. We were really good in San Francisco. My last year in Chicago, we were really good. Obviously in ’24 and ’25 [with the Eagles], we were good, really good.”

The 49ers units with Fangio were defined by a physical front led by the powerful Justin Smith, and star linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman in front of disguised coverages. The 2018 Bears finished first in scoring defense and helped launch the modern two-high boom. Meanwhile, the 2024 Eagles led the NFL in yards allowed and ranked second in points en route to a Super Bowl LIX win over Kansas City. 

Defense is reactionary by nature so it's almost impossible to predict the next trend. In a league that copies success almost immediately, it’s Fangio’s speed to adjust that sets him apart, not the perception of staying ahead of the curve.