Who is Thomas Brown? After firing Shane Waldron, the Bears are promoting passing game coordinator

The Chicago Bears are shaking things up on the offensive side of the ball, as head coach Matt Eberflus shows Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron fired on Tuesday. This came after Chicago failed to find the end zone in the last two games while Caleb Williams’ unit was largely stagnant. In Sunday’s 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots, Chicago converted 1 of 14 third downs and managed just 142 yards of total offense.

With Waldron outside, in steps Thomas Brown. The former passing game coordinator is in his first season with the Bears and will now have the opportunity to turn around a unit that features a rookie quarterback with potential and plenty of weapons like Keenan Allen, DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and D’ Andre Swift.

Who is Thomas Brown? He is a 38-year-old offensive line coach who has actually already garnered interest as a head coach. Let’s take a look at his biography:

A former RB

If you’re an SEC football fan, you probably remember Brown. The former running back attended the University of Georgia and rushed for 2,646 yards and 23 touchdowns in 40 career games played. As a freshman in 2004, Brown rushed for 875 yards and eight touchdowns, earning him Freshman All-SEC honors.

Brown was selected in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, but did not play his rookie season due to an injury he sustained in the preseason. Brown then spent time with the Cleveland Browns before turning to coaching.

RBs coach and assistant Sean McVay

Brown coached running backs at various colleges, including Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, Georgia, Miami (where he was also an OC) and South Carolina. In 2020, he landed his first NFL job with the Los Angeles Rams as running backs coach. The very next season, Brown was promoted to assistant head coach to fulfill his duties as a running back. That year, the Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl LVI. In his final season with the Rams, Brown moved from running backs coach to tight ends. After his three seasons under Sean McVay, Brown was ready for further promotion.

Offensive coordinator and HC candidate

In 2023, Brown received interest from multiple franchises. He was even interviewed by the Houston Texans for their head coaching position before they ultimately landed on DeMeco Ryans. Ultimately, Brown was hired by Frank Reich to be the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Reich started as game manager, but handed those duties over to Brown after an 0-6 start. Brown won his first game calling plays as he helped Bryce Young defeat CJ Stroud’s Texans 15-13. Just a few weeks later, however, Reich resumed the punter’s role before being fired after the Panthers fell to 1-10.

While the Panthers struggled in 2023, Brown was ranked the No. 2 offensive coordinator in an NFLPA poll. This past offseason, Brown began looking for other options. He interviewed for the position of head coach of the Tennessee Titans and offensive coordinator for several teams such as the Pittsburgh Steelers and Patriots. However, Brown eventually joined Eberflus’ team as passing game coordinator.

What’s next?

There’s reason to be cautiously optimistic about Brown’s emergence, considering 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 division opponents. This is a great opportunity for Brown and perhaps his most notable interview yet.