Chicago Bears: Vic Fangio returning is terrific news

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is returning to the Chicago Bears, and Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace must be jumping for joy.

After Matt Nagy finished his introductory press conference on Tuesday, the new head coach of the Chicago Bears had to turn his attention to assembling a coaching staff. Perhaps the biggest coaching hire was that of the defensive coordinator position. It looked like after John Fox was fired that Vic Fangio would not return to the Bears, but after several other NFL teams filled defensive coordinator spots, Fangio’s options quickly dwindled.

The Green Bay Packers were seen as the most serious contender for Fangio’s services, but the NFC North rival filled their position with former Cleveland Browns head coach Mike Pettine. With the Chargers, Ravens, and Raiders all filling defensive coordinator spots as well, Fangio’s return to the Bears became more and more likely, and on Wednesday, the Bears seem all but certain to welcome the 59-year old back to the team, per the Chicago Sun-Times.

Retaining Fangio is terrific news for Matt Nagy and the Chicago Bears. The defensive players respect Fangio and truly enjoy playing for him. During the season, veterans like Akiem Hicks and Danny Trevathan had nothing but glowing remarks about Fangio, and Hicks has credited the defensive coordinator with helping him blossom into the player he is today.

The Bears defense was ravished by injuries in 2017, including losing opening day starters Quintin Demps, Jerrell Freeman, Willie Young, and Leonard Floyd to injured reserve. Countless other players were banged up, yet the Bears defense finished the year ranked ninth in points allowed, 11th in run defense, and seventh in pass defense.

Fangio was able to get the most out of Kyle Fuller, Eddie Jackson, Nick Kwiatkowski, and Adrian Amos, and the defense actually finished 13th in the league with 22 takeaways.

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Ryan Pace has to be thrilled with how the offseason has gone so far, hiring a young offensive mind to groom Mitchell Trubisky and retaining the defensive coordinator who has done marvels with some subpar talent. The next step for the Bears is to complete the coaching staff, research ways to limit the amount of injuries, and then focus on adding more impact talent through the draft and free agency.