Will firing Shane Waldron make a difference for the Bears offense?

For the first time ever midseason, the Chicago Bears have made a change at offensive coordinator.

The team have chosen to part ways with Shane Waldron, who only joined at the start of the year, with the Bears having to score a touchdown since Week 8.

With the Bears season still fairly balanced at 4-5 on the year, and rookie quarterback Caleb Williams in need of some coaching assistance in his NFL development, there is hope that the move will ignite change to inspire Chicago to a potential run towards the postseason.

“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,” coach Matt Eberflus said in a statement. “This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward.”

Why a change had to be made

With Waldron gone, passing game coordinator Thomas Brown has been promoted to take over play-calling duties for the remainder of the season, the Bears announced Tuesday.

Their recent offensive struggles followed strong play from the unit leading up to the team’s Week 7 bye, with Chicago scoring 36 and 35 points in Weeks 5 and 6 respectively. Williams will continue to start QB, despite having not thrown a touchdown pass since Week 6.

The need for a coaching change was a given, but the Bears are well known for never firing a head coach in-season. Matt Eberflus is safe for now, but definitely remains on the hot seat, with this talented group of players failing to hit the heights so many people have built up for them.

He’s fighting for his own job, but it’s clear that Williams’ development was taking a wrong turn. Being outshone by his rookie peers like Jayden Daniels and even Bo Nix, Williams needs to show signs of progression and his the organisation had to change something to correct that path.

Is Thomas Brown the answer?

Brown will become Eberflus’ third offensive coordinator in his three seasons with the Bears, taking over having served as the Bears’ passing game coordinator for the start of this year.

What is notable is Brown’s most recent coaching role prior to Chicago, having worked as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator last season and saw him take the reigns on the development of another first overall pick, Bryce Young.

Despite having failed with Young, in the short time they worked together, the Bears have confidence that Brown reflects a strategic pivot aimed at revamping their offense; he’s a respected coach, and a successful adaptation of his coaching style could be very transformative to his team performance and player morale.

They have the quality help in place on paper to aid Williams and produce a competent offense, with receivers DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, tight end Cole Kmet and running back D’Andre Swift, as well as adding receiver Rome Odunze with the ninth pick in the NFL Draft. More still, the offensive linemen group, which has taken the brunt of criticism in recent weeks, is actually the unit that Ryan Poles considered before the season to be the best and the deepest he’s had in his three years as general manager of the Bears.

Despite the optimism and the potential for a new coach bump, Brown needs to help to revitalise his players frustrations, particularly over the recent lack of offensive productivity and creativity.

No doubt, Chicago’s problems run deep, and regardless on the run of the remainder of the season, there will be major changes made in coaching personnel for 2025. Having struggled to develop young QBs in seasons past, they can’t afford to fail Caleb Williams, too.