Behind Matt Eberflus' decision to fire Shane Waldron and change the Chicago Bears' offense

LAKE FOREST, Ill. - The Chicago Bears made history on Tuesday morning.

Since 1970, when the Bears designated their first offensive coordinator, the franchise has never changed offensive coordinators during a season until the 2024 season.

That all came to a head Tuesday morning when the Bears fired Shane Waldron, but the wheels began turning after the Bears lost to the New England Patriots 19-3 at Solider Field.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus talked on Wednesday about the process in deciding to make a move at offensive coordinator. Just one week prior, he expressed his confidence in Waldron after the loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

Now, Waldron is out and Thomas Brown is in.

"I thought it was best for the Bears and our team to move on from Shane," Eberflus said.

Eberflus said Sunday that he'd look at everything after the loss to the Patriots. It was a new low.

The Bears went their second-straight game without scoring a touchdown. The Bears allowed nine sacks to a team that ranked near the bottom of the league in total sacks, and is now tied for 12th in the league.

The Bears went from 307 total yards against Washington, to 241 total yards against the Cardinals to 141 total yards against the Patriots.

A change needed to happen, and Eberflus made the call to fire the offensive coordinator he hired last January. This is the second time he's fired an offensive coordinator in the 2024 calendar year, too, marking the third offensive coordinator under Eberflus.

"I take full accountability for that," Eberflus said. "It’s got to get better."

That decision was lauded earlier this year for Waldron's ability to work with quarterbacks and his familiarity with the Sean McVay offensive system. Eberflus said he took to Waldron's ability to adjust his offense to the players on hand and his communication ability.

On Monday, Eberflus said the Bears' in-game communication needed to be better. It was a sign Eberflus' process was underway. He made his decision shortly after.

"I took the whole process on Monday and made the decision on Tuesday morning," Eberflus said.

Part of the process included a meeting with the Bears' administration.

Eberflus always meets with the main decision makers on Monday: general manager Ryan Poles, Bears chairman George McCaskey and Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren.

It was always Eberflus' decision to make. It came after that meeting with his bosses.

"My decision," Eberflus said. "Of course, I used counsel with Ryan. I always have a meeting with Ryan, George and Kevin. I've always used those guys as counsel, but it's my decision."

The decision to fire Waldron doesn't overlook the three performances the Bears' offense had during the team's three-game winning streak earlier this year. However, the playcalling against the Colts and Commanders left points off the board. 

Veteran players spoke about those playcalls in different media appearances. Those veteran players were another factor in his decision.

Eberflus said players expressed frustration at the state of the offense, which was stagnant since returning from the bye week outside of 16 minutes of gametime against the Washington Commanders.

"They just want to do more," Eberflus said. "Be more productive, more effective."

Players spoke to that frustration on Wednesday, too. It wasn't a matter of effort. The connection just lacked.

That's a factor that played into Eberflus' decision after hearing it first hand between Sunday's loss and Tursday morning.

"It was like, okay, now we're really seeing that even if we try harder, it still wasn't good enough," Bears wide receiver DJ Moore said. "That's where the frustration was coming from."

Now, it's a new time for the Bears' offense.

Brown has experience as an offensive coordinator. He held the position last year in Carolina, and called plays after then-head coach Frank Reich gave up that responsibility and gave it to Brown.

The Bears can't reinvent a new offense midseason. That isn't what they're going to do anyway.

Brown said a lot of the verbiage will remain the same. It's just about a different style of calling plays.

"I really do," Eberflus said. "That’s what we’re looking for, a significant change. We want an efficient offense."

Eberflus is hoping Brown brings that change. He lauded Brown's passion, energy and tenacity. Other players spoke about how demanding Brown is as a coach.

The first chance the Bears have to prove they can sustain offensive success comes this Sunday at home against Green Bay.

"I’m very excited about him being our playcaller," Eberflus said.

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