MOBILE, Ala. — One candidate for the Chicago Bears offensive coordinator position who did not get the job will be joining the coaching staff in a new role.
The Bears are hiring Thomas Brown as the passing game coordinator, a league source said Tuesday, reuniting him with offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, with whom he worked previously on Sean McVay’s Los Angeles Rams staff.
Brown served as the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator this season after three years under McVay, starting as running backs coach and quickly earning the title of assistant head coach. He was part of the 2021 coaching staff that helped the Rams win the Super Bowl.
The Panthers struggled behind rookie quarterback Bryce Young in 2023, averaging a league-worst 265.3 yards per game.
In addition to the Bears offensive coordinator job, Brown, 37, interviewed this month with the Tennessee Titans for their head coaching position.
The former Georgia running back was a running backs coach in college for eight seasons, including with Wisconsin, Georgia, South Carolina and Miami, where he also was the offensive coordinator.
The Bears have overhauled the offensive staff under coach Matt Eberflus, adding Waldron, Brown and quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph, who was with Waldron in Seattle. They’re also working to hire Chris Beatty to coach wide receivers and hired Eric Washington as defensive coordinator.
Eberflus has yet to hire a running backs coach.
