The Chicago Bears are switching things up on the offensive side of the ball, as head coach Matt Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday. This comes after Chicago failed to find the end zone in each of its past two games, while Caleb Williams‘ unit has largely fallen flat. In the 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, Chicago converted 1 of 14 third downs and racked up just 142 yards of total offense.
With Waldron out, in steps Thomas Brown. The former passing game coordinator is in his first season with the Bears, and he will now have the opportunity to turn around a unit that features a rookie quarterback with potential and plenty of weapons such as Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and D’Andre Swift.
Who is Thomas Brown? He’s a 38-year-old offensive coach who has actually already received some head coaching interest. Let’s take a look at his bio:
A former RB
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If you’re an SEC football fan, you’ll likely remember Brown. The former running back attended the University of Georgia, and he rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns in 40 career games played. Brown rushed for 875 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2004, which earned him Freshman All-SEC honors.
Brown was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft, but didn’t play his rookie season due to an injury sustained in the preseason. Brown then spent some time with the Cleveland Browns before turning his attention to coaching.
RBs coach-turned-Sean McVay assistant
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Brown coached running backs at several different colleges, including Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, Georgia, Miami (where he was also OC) and South Carolina. He received his first NFL job with the Los Angeles Rams as a running backs coach in 2020. The very next season, Brown was promoted to assistant head coach to go along with his running back duties. That year, the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. In his final season with the Rams, Brown moved over from coaching running backs to tight ends. Following his three seasons under Sean McVay, Brown was ready for another promotion.
Offensive coordinator and HC candidate
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In 2023, Brown received interest from several franchises. He was even interviewed by the Houston Texans for their head coaching vacancy before they eventually landed on DeMeco Ryans. Ultimately, Brown was brought in by Frank Reich to be his offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Reich started off as the play-caller, but handed those duties to Brown after an 0-6 start. Brown won his first game calling plays, as he helped Bryce Young defeat C.J. Stroud’s Texans, 15-13. Just a few weeks later, however, Reich took back play-calling duties before being fired after the Panthers fell to 1-10.
While the Panthers struggled in 2023, Brown was voted the No. 2 offensive coordinator in an NFLPA survey. This past offseason, Brown began to look at other opportunities. He interviewed to be the head coach of the Tennessee Titans and offensive coordinator for multiple teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Patriots. However, Brown eventually joined Eberflus’ staff as a passing game coordinator.
What’s next
There’s reason to be cautiously optimistic concerning Brown’s promotion given the playmakers Chicago’s offense has on paper. However, the Bears have the toughest remaining schedule in the NFL, which includes a whopping six matchups against divisional opponents. This is a major opportunity for Brown, and perhaps his most notable job interview yet.
