Bears fire OC Shane Waldron; Interim coordinator Thomas Brown will take over

The Chicago Bears have finally made a change after their horrific 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots this weekend. The Bears announced Tuesday morning that offensive coordinator Shane Waldron is out after just nine games. Head coach Matt Eberflus made the final decision.

“After evaluating our overall effort, I concluded that it was in the best interest of our team to take the direction of our offense in a different direction. This decision was well thought out and made consciously and respectfully,” Eberflus said in a statement. “I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him all the best for the future.”

Thomas Brown, the passing game coordinator, will supposedly take over as offensive coordinator and play caller for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Waldron was hired on January 23, 2024 as head coach Matt Eberflus’ hand-picked offensive coordinator. His job was to reform the offensive strategy around rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, the Bears’ first overall pick in the 2024 draft.

And before their departure in Week 7, there was some success. They had a 4-2 record and a four-game home winning streak. They scored at least 24 points in four of their first six games. There was room for improvement all around, but the offense worked.

The Bears returned to action in Week 8 against the Washington Commanders. Chicago’s defense did its job holding Washington’s potent offense to under 20 points, but Waldron’s offense, led by Williams, managed just 105 yards through the air, resulting in a loss of just 15 points.

The next two games were anything but a disaster. They totaled just 241 yards of total offense and zero touchdowns in Week 9 against the Arizona Cardinals. They then scored a single field goal in Week 10 against the Patriots, one of the worst teams in the league. By the end of that demoralizing loss, Waldron had watched his personally engineered offense complete 23 straight drives without scoring a touchdown.

So what do we know about Brown, Waldron’s successor? After nine years at the collegiate level, he is in his fifth season as a coach at the NFL level. He is in his first season as passing coordinator for the Bears after spending the 2023 season as offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers weren’t exactly an offensive powerhouse a year ago with their own rookie No. 1 pick under center, Bryce Young.

But after going eight quarters without a touchdown, Chicago had to get past Waldron. Right now, that might be the most positive thing the Bears have going for them.