What to know about Thomas Brown, the Chicago Bears new offensive coordinator
The Chicago Bears talked about makng a change, and that came to fruition on Tuesday.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron just 10 months and nine weeks into his tenure in Chicago. It was a move head coach Matt Eberflus said was in the best interest in the leadership of the offense.
In Waldron's place, the Bears promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to offensive coordinator.
"Thomas is a bright offensive mind who has experience calling plays with a collaborative mindset," Eberflus said in a written statement. "I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players."
Who is the new guy taking over?
Here's what you need to know about Thomas Brown, the Bears' new offensive coordinator.
Meet Thomas Brown
If you recognize Brown's name, that's because he was linked to the Bears not too long ago.
Brown was one of the candidates who interviewed for the Bears offensive coordinator job this past offseason, which went to Waldron.
Before that, Brown was a highly sought-after coaching candidate.
Entering the 2023 NFL season, Brown was the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers. Before that, he was the running backs coach for Sean McVay in Los Angeles for three seasons.
Brown interviewed for the Titans’ head job after they fired Mike Vrabel following last season. He's a highly regarded coach in NFL circles who the Bears were able to add to their offensive staff this offseason, even with the significant interest around him.
Brown interviewed for numerous offensive coordinator jobs before taking the passing game coordinator role with the Bears.
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Brown has worked with top QB picks before
In Carolina, even though it was a disastrous year, Brown had a chance to work with No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young.
When Brown was hired, that experience wasn't lost on Eberflus.
"I've asked him all along the way how it's going in terms of our preparation and how we're doing things and what we need to do better, based on the experiences that he had last year," Eberflus said on Brown's experience in June. "That's been great to be able to have a sounding board to be able to bounce those ideas off of him."
Brown wasn't Young's playcaller for the entire season, though.
Brown took over duties for the final six games of the 2023 season after Frank Reich was fired. Before that, he had called plays just one full game in October after Carolina started 0-6.
He helped engineer the final drive against the Texans where the Panthers scored a game-winning field goal to get their first win in 2023.
Take the player's word for it: Brown is a highly regarded name
When Brown's name was coming into head coaching conversations, that may have surprised the casual fan.
But, the NFL players knew what Brown was capable of.
In an NFL Players Association survey last season, Brown was voted No. 2 overall in the top offensive coordinator rankings. According to NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe, the background on Brown is that he's not only well-liked, but that he's also demanding of his players.
Even the defensive players see what Brown brings to the team and coaching staff.
"The dude is an absolute workhorse," Bears linebacker TJ Edwards said during an appearance on 670 The Score on Tuesday. "He’s a hands-on guy who wants to see everything that the players are seeing, a guy who truly loves what he does. I know that he’s going to bring some juice."