Vic Fangio reportedly Panthers’ leading DC candidate if a young HC is hired

We now have a leader in the Carolina Panthers’ search for a defensive coordinator . . . on one condition.

On Wednesday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano shared some buzz about the ongoing coaching carousel in the NFL. Included in their report was a note about the Panthers’ probe into defensive coordinators, one that’s favoring Vic Fangio in the event that the team hires a young offensive “guru” as their next head coach.

Graziano writes:

“Carolina is interviewing defensive-coordinator candidates concurrently with its interviews for head coach, with former Broncos coach Vic Fangio a leading candidate to run the defense if the Panthers were to hire an inexperienced offensive-minded head coach.”

Fangio, as crazy as it sounds, was actually the first defensive coordinator in Panthers history—a tenure that lasted from 1995 to 1998. So bringing in a voice with almost 40 years of NFL experience to help a young rookie head coach is probably a pretty good idea.

We must also keep in mind that Sean Payton, who owner David Tepper is set to meet with on Friday, has reportedly eyed Fangio as his defensive coordinator for a potential return to the sidelines. (Not a bad bargaining chip, huh?)

In addition to Fangio, the Panthers have tabs on three other candidates—2022’s interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb, New York Jets safeties coach Marquand Manuel and New Orleans Saints co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach Kris Richard.