Who could the Dolphins hire to replace Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator?

For the second straight year, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel is looking for a new defensive coordinator.

Miami and Vic Fangio agreed to mutually part ways after one season, the team announced Wednesday.

Fangio improved the Dolphins’ defense in 2023, but injuries undercut the unit in the second half of the season and Fangio struggled to foster strong relationships with several players. While ESPN reported that Fangio is signing a contract to become the Philadelphia Eagles’ next defensive coordinator, McDaniel will have to find the right person to lead a unit that finished with its first top-10 ranking since 2010.

He’ll face tough decisions on whether to hire a coach who will retain some form of Fangio’s defense or one who will implement a new scheme — not to mention one who has the right personality to mesh with players.

Here are five possible candidates for Miami’s defensive coordinator opening.

Anthony Campanile

If there is any in-house leader for the Dolphins’ now-vacant defensive coordinator position, it’s likely Campanile. He just finished his fourth season coaching Miami’s linebackers and is well-liked by players. He was one of the stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks,” shown giving an impassioned speech to the players in a team meeting in one episode.

Campanile, who interviewed for the New York Giants defensive coordinator vacancy, was the only known in-house candidate for Miami’s opening last season. During the 2023 season, Campanile relayed defensive play calls from the sideline and Fangio called plays from the coaches’ booth. The 40-year-old Campanile has never been a coordinator in the NFL but spent one season as a co-defensive coordinator at Boston College.

Brandon Staley

NFL Network reported that Staley, who was fired on Dec. 15 as the Los Angeles Chargers’ head coach, would be a candidate to replace Fangio. Staley, 41, learned under Fangio as an assistant with the Chicago Bears and would be able to retain the current scheme. A fast riser in the coaching ranks, Staley spent three seasons as Chargers head coach after one season as the Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator in 2020 (he coached cornerback Jalen Ramsey during this season). During his time leading the Chargers, Staley called defensive plays but a high-priced unit with multiple Pro Bowlers struggled. In the three seasons that Staley was head coach, the Chargers ranked bottom-10 in yards per game allowed, third-down defense, takeaways and points allowed.

Sean Desai

The Dolphins also interviewed Desai for their opening last year. Desai spent this past season as the Eagles defensive coordinator but was fired earlier in the week after he was demoted in the middle of the season and stripped of his play-calling duties.

Desai, 40, is another Fangio protégé; he got his start as a quality control coach with the Bears in 2013 and was retained when Fangio arrived as defensive coordinator. In recent years, he’s been regarded as one of the league’s young, bright defensive minds but his lone season in Philadelphia was a rough one. The Eagles were tied for 24th in yards per play (5.5), 31st in third-down defense (46.4 percent) and 30th in points allowed.

Renaldo Hill

Hill, 45, served as defensive coordinator under Staley (Hill did not call plays) and joined Fangio in Miami as the Dolphins’ passing game coordinator/secondary coach. Hill had a 10-year career as a safety in the NFL and played for the Dolphins from 2006 to 2008. He got his first NFL coaching opportunity in Miami as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2018.

Ejiro Evero

Evero, 43, has been interviewed by multiple teams for their head coach openings in the past two years and if he misses out on this cycle, he’s once again expected to be a highly-coveted defensive coordinator. He just completed his first season as the Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator after serving in the same role for the Denver Broncos in 2022.

In 2023, Carolina ranked 29th in points allowed but sixth in yards per play (4.9). In 2022, he led a Broncos defense that ranked third in yards per play (5.0). Evero learned under multiple top defensive minds, including Fangio, Dom Campers, Wade Phillips and Raheem Morris.

OTHER POSSIBLE CANDIDATES:

Kris Kocurek, 49ers defensive line coach

Aaron Whitecotton, Jets defensive line coach

Kris Richard, former Saints co-defensive coordinator

Wink Martindale, former Giants defensive coordinator

Leslie Frazier, former Bills defensive coordinator