The Bears announced the firing Tuesday, a day after head coach Matt Eberflus promised “changes” and “tweaks” for the struggling Bears. Passing game coordinator Thomas Brown has been promoted to offensive coordinator.
“After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is best for our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense,” Eberflus said in a statement released by the team. “This decision was well thought out, carried out deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best in the future.”
The Bears haven’t changed offensive coordinators midseason since Perry Moss became Chicago’s first designated OC in 1970.
Waldron had come under heavy scrutiny in Chicago due to the overall performance of the offense and the recent struggles of rookie quarterback Caleb Williams.
The Bears (4-5) have lost three straight games, scoring a total of just 27 points in that span, and are averaging just 277.6 yards per game this season, third-lowest in the NFL.
Waldron, 45, was hired by the Bears on Jan. 23 after spending the previous three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks’ offensive coordinator. He replaced Luke Getsy, who was fired after two seasons in Chicago but later became the Las Vegas Raiders’ offensive coordinator, only to be fired earlier this month.
Eberflus said during the recruiting process last winter that the Bears were looking for a “grandmaster” at the offensive coordinator position, likely anticipating using the draft’s No. 1 overall pick on a quarterback.
Despite revamping most of its offensive coaching staff and dedicating high draft capital and free agent resources to upgrading offensive talent, including using the No. 1 overall pick on Williams, Chicago has underperformed for 10 weeks of the season.
The Bears have scored 27 points after their Week 7 bye and rank near the bottom of the NFL in points scored (24), yards per carry (28), yards per pass (30), total yards (30), third downs (31) and yards per play (31).
In Sunday’s home loss to the New England Patriots, Williams completed 16 of his 30 pass attempts for 120 yards, his lowest passing production since throwing for 93 yards in his NFL debut against the Tennessee Titans. Collectively, Chicago’s offense was 1 of 14 on third down (7%), its worst mark since 2012.
Williams was also sacked nine times by the Patriots, bringing his total over the last three games to 18. During Chicago’s recent losing streak, Williams has recorded the three highest pressure percentage games of his career.
Brown is one season away from serving as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator, which coincided with former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young’s rookie season. He spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams coaching running backs and tight ends and was also the team’s assistant head coach from 2021-2022.
Brown also has play-calling experience at the college level as Miami (Fla.)’s offensive coordinator and running backs coach from 2016-18.
“Thomas is a brilliant offensive mind who has experience executing plays with a collaborative mindset. I look forward to his leadership over our offensive coaching staff and his plan for our players,” Eberflus said.
