Following three consecutive losses featuring mounting problems on offense, the Chicago Bears have made a change.
The Bears fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron on Tuesday, nine games into his first season with the team, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported. Thomas Brown, the Bears' passing game coordinator, is taking over as interim offensive coordinator, per Pelissero.
Chicago subsequently announced the changes.
“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,” head coach Matt Eberflus said in a statement. “I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.”
Brown steps into a familiar position despite also being in his first season with the club. He was hired as the Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 and eventually took over play-calling duties during Frank Reich's short-lived season as head coach. Prior to that, he was Sean McVay's assistant head coach during the Rams' Super Bowl-winning campaign in 2021.
Amid the three-game skid that's dropped them to 4-5 and last place in the NFC North, the Bears have scored a combined 27 points over the trio of defeats. Their point total has lessoned in each of the three games, and they have not scored a touchdown in 23 consecutive possessions.
Heading into a home matchup with the rival Green Bay Packers, Eberflus is hoping this significant alteration can provide some sort of rekindling to the offense.
Tasked with guiding No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams' rookie campaign, Waldron’s results have been dismal, with points scarce and the beating dished out to Williams overwhelming.
Waldron’s firing comes after a 19-3 home defeat to the 3-7 New England Patriots on Sunday in which Williams threw for 120 yards, the offense had just 142 total yards and the 2024 top pick was sacked nine times -- an NFL high for any game this season.
Chicago has failed to score a touchdown in two straight games, allowing six or more sacks in back-to-back weeks for the first time since Weeks 8-9 in 1993, per NFL Research.
The results have been horrible in 2024, but also don’t bode well for the maturation of Williams, who’s been sacked 38 times -- the most for a rookie in his first 10 weeks since the Houston Texans’ David Carr was sacked 49 times in 2002, per NFL Research.
Waldron has come under fire in recent weeks and after the latest loss, Eberflus said Monday that "everything's on the table."
In a Bears season expected to be one of promise for the franchise’s future, Chicago has dealt with some hard times since losing to Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders on a Hail Mary in Week 8. The Bears went from a three-game winning streak to a three-game skid, their offense disappearing in the process.
It will no longer be up to Waldron to figure out the Bears’ offensive woes, as Chicago is throwing a Hail Mary of its own in the hopes of turning things around.