As brief as Shane Waldron’s stint with the Bears was, he had this coming for a long time.
The team fired Waldron as offensive coordinator Tuesday after just nine games and replaced him with Thomas Brown. Brown had been working as passing-game coordinator and was the offensive coordinator for the Panthers last season and for the University of Miami from 2016 through ’18.
Coach Matt Eberflus declined to clarify his plans Monday, but wouldn’t commit to Waldron remaining on staff this week. The change came after a 19-3 loss to the Patriots, and the Bears have managed 27 points over their last three games.
“After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense,” Eberflus said in a statement Tuesday. “This decision was well thought out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.
“Thomas is a bright offensive mind who has experience calling plays with a collaborative mindset. I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players.”
The Bears have had issues offensively throughout the season, and players began speaking up about Waldron’s scheme and coaching after an ugly Week 3 loss to the Colts.
The Bears have scored 20 or more points four times, and the defenses they did that against are ranked 32nd, 29th, 27th and 22nd. They’ve scored the ninth-fewest points (19.4) and gained the third-fewest yards (277.7) per game in the NFL.
Brown, 38, has play-calling experience as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator last season and for the Miami Hurricanes from 2016 through ’18. His most important task is to further the development of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
“They’re not going to reinvent the wheel,” Williams said Sunday when asked about the possibility of changing offensive play caller. “That’s not a decision for me. I have to do what Coach says and deal with whatever decision he makes and I have to be fine with it.
“Will I be able to adapt? Yes, I will. We will be able to adapt to whatever decision he makes, and from there we have to be able to go out and execute and win games.”
Brown is a former running back, and the Falcons drafted him out of Georgia in the sixth round in 2008. He played one season for them and played for the Browns in 2009 and ’10.
Georgia hired him as strength and conditioning coach in 2011, and he got his start in coaching as the running backs coach at Chattanooga in 2012. He worked his way up at that position to Marshall (2013), Wisconsin (2014) and Georgia (2015) before getting the coordinator job at Miami.
In the NFL, Brown worked under Sean McVay as a Rams assistant from 2020 through ’22 before going to the Panthers. Waldron brought him to the Bears this year, along with wide receivers coach Chris Beatty, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and running backs coach Chad Morton.