LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears have fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron.
The club has promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to offensive coordinator.
Waldron became the second offensive coordinator fired in the last year under the Eberflus regime, joining Luke Getsy, who was fired by the Bears after the end of last season.
Getsy is also the only other offensive coordinator who has been relieved of their duties this season after he was fired by the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 3.
Waldron was let go following an abysmal performance Sunday against the Patriots, where the Bears extended a 23-drive streak without scoring a touchdown, on their way to just 3 points and 142 total yards of offense.
An underlying concern that helped drive the decision is that Chicago’s offense has become stagnant with rookie No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams also showing signs of regression.
Waldron was hired by Eberflus after he spent three seasons as Seattle’s offensive coordinator and previously worked with Sean McVay as the Los Angeles Rams’ passing game coordinator.
“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. This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully,” Eberflus said in a press release. “I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.”
Thomas Brown now has to fill Waldron’s shoes to help find chemistry between Williams and the weapons that surround him on offense. Brown has experiencing calling plays — he was the Carolina Panther’s offensive coordinator last year.
Brown also comes from the McVay coaching tree and was a running backs coach and assistant head coach with the Rams.
“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,” Eberflus said.
Things won’t likely change much until the offensive line plays with more cohesion. Williams was sacked nine times on Sunday and has faced constant pressure all season long.
Regarding finding chemistry, Brown will need to figure out how to get DJ Moore and Cole Kmet more targets.
Moore has let his body language do the talking over frustrations this season. He hasn’t gone over 35 yards receiving in last four weeks after a 2023 campaign that netted him 1,364 yards.
Kmet was a ghost under Waldron, leaving fans perplexed in Week 1 when he played less than fifty percent of the snaps. In the last three weeks, Kmet has only three receptions for 27 yards.
The Bears play their first divisional game Sunday at home against the Packers.