Vic Fangio tabbed as next Bears defensive coordinator

The former 49ers coordinator will head to the Windy City after being passed over for the head coach position in San Francisco.

The Chicago Bears have named Vic Fangio as their next defensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport. Fangio will join John Fox's staff after spending the past four seasons as the defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. He replaces Mel Tucker, who served under former head coach Marc Trestman.

Fangio was part of the staff that orchestrated three NFC Championship appearances under former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh. His unit ranked in the top five in total defense all four years. Fangio interviewed for the head coaching position after Harbaugh left San Francisco, but former defensive line coach Jim Tomsula won the job. Fangio was then released from his contract.

This past season, Fangio's defensive skills were on full display. The story of San Francisco's season really should have been something along the lines of "Fangio orchestrates incredible defensive consistency despite everybody being injured," but instead we were treated to the struggles on offense and Jim Harbaugh's departure.

Patrick Willis missed most of the season, while NaVorro Bowman missed the whole campaign. They aren't just the best pairing of linebackers in the NFL, they both have a strong claim for the top spots in the whole league individually. Yet replacements Michael Wilhoite and Chris Borland, the latter a rookie, played incredibly well. At one point in the season, defensive end Justin Smith was the only member from the 2013 NFC Championship starting defense who was a healthy starter in 2014.

Late in the season, the 49ers had just three players starting whom they had pegged as starters in the preseason. The numbers San Francisco put up were incredible given the circumstances, and many see Fangio's departure as a sizable step back, especially with Harbaugh out.

After a 5-11 season, Chicago is in sore need of a turnaround, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The defense gave up 377.1 yards per game and also allowed the second-most points in the league, yielding an average of 27.6 points per game. Only the Oakland Raiders fared worse.

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