Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Report: Thomas Brown joining Patriots’ coaching staff

Former Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown is joining Mike Vrabel’s coaching staff in New England, NFL Network reported Monday.

Brown, 38, will become the Patriots’ tight ends coach and passing game coordinator, per the report.

Brown began the 2024 season as Chicago’s passing game coordinator. He was promoted to offensive coordinator on Nov. 12 following the firing of Shane Waldron, then promoted to interim coach on Nov. 29 following the firing of Matt Eberflus.

Brown went 1-4 as the Bears’ interim coach, beating the Green Bay Packers in his final game in January.

He previously served as the Carolina Panthers’ offensive coordinator in 2023 and coached with the Los Angeles Rams from 2020-22, the last two seasons as an assistant head coach.

Brown played running back at Georgia and was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 before starting his coaching career in the college ranks. He worked for Georgia, Wisconsin, Miami, Marshall, the College of Charleston and South Carolina.

–Field Level Media

Thomas Brown will look for his third job in three seasons after the Bears hired Ben Johnson as head coach. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Bears interim coach Thomas Brown moving on

New Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson will not retain interim coach and offensive coordinator Thomas Brown.

Brown has interviewed for the play-calling role with the Seattle Seahawks, who fired Ryan Grubb after one season.

Brown was promoted twice by the Bears in 2024, from passing coordinator to offensive coordinator and then to the interim coaching role when Matt Eberflus was fired in November.

Bears team president Kevin Warren established late in the season that Brown would be a candidate to remain head coach. But a different reality came to light at Johnson’s introductory press conference Wednesday at Halas Hall.

Team chairman George McCaskey revealed there was always one candidate — Johnson, who has been offensive coordinator of the Lions for three seasons and on the Detroit coaching staff since 2019 — based on the preference of his football operations staff.

“(GM) Ryan (Poles) says, ‘This is the guy we want,’ and I said, ‘Go get him,’” McCaskey summarized Wednesday.

Brown and Johnson are the same age (38) with much different degrees of success calling plays. The Bears finished last (32nd) in total offense in 2024, but Brown did push rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams toward consistently positive results.

Brown went 1-4 as head coach of the Bears, beating the Packers in his final game in January.

In addition to Brown, the Seahawks have interviewed Lions offensive line coach Hank Fraley, Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak and Vikings assistant OC and quarterbacks coach Grant Udinski for their OC role.

Brown played running back at Georgia and was drafted by the Falcons in 2008 before starting his coaching career in the college ranks. He worked for Georgia, Wisconsin, Miami and the College of Charleston and connected with Sean McVay as an offensive assistant with the Rams following one season as offensive coordinator at South Carolina.

Brown was hired as Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 but moved on after Carolina made another coaching change.

The Athletic reported Thursday that in addition to Brown, the Bears are parting ways with defensive coordinator Eric Washington, interim OC and wideouts coach Chris Beatty, offensive line coach Chris Morgan and QBs coach Kerry Joseph.

–Field Level Media

Dec 8, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; Chicago Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown stands on the field after calling a timeout against the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Bears to interview interim coach Thomas Brown for job

The Chicago Bears intend to interview interim head coach Thomas Brown for the permanent job.

Brown took over for Matt Eberflus, who was fired Nov. 29 after Chicago’s 4-8 start. Entering the regular-season finale on Sunday, the Bears were 4-12.

Still, despite the 0-4 mark, general manager Ryan Poles told ESPN 1000 in Chicago on Sunday that Brown had earned consideration.

“I’ve been so impressed with Thomas and his leadership,” Poles said. “I know the results haven’t come. That was a very difficult situation he’s been put in. I grew up in this business where you earn more, and that’s exactly how we got here with Thomas. I feel like he’s done a really good job.”

Brown began the season as the Bears’ passing game coordinator, then Eberflus named him offensive coordinator when Shane Waldron was fired after Week 10.

“You could see the leadership traits, and then he got moved to the offense coordinator position and did well. We saw improvements on offense and then at the head coaching level, got the opportunity to do that and lead the entire team,” Poles said. “And just sitting in team meetings, meeting with him after games — he’s a truth teller. He’s someone that does challenge our players to get better, creates accountability. So there’s a lot of really positive traits that Thomas has, and I’ve been proud of how he’s stepped up and led this team down the stretch here. And again, it’s not the results that we wanted in terms of wins and losses, but the traits of a leader. He absolutely has those.”

Brown, 38, has four-plus years of NFL coaching experience and nine in the college ranks.

The New York Jets and New Orleans Saints also fired their coaches during the season and have openings. More are expected hours after the conclusion of the regular season on what has become known as Black Monday.

–Field Level Media

Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Thomas Brown looks on before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

Thomas Brown, Bears deepen detail to boost QB Caleb Williams

A stickler for details, Thomas Brown wants to rebuild Caleb Williams’ confidence through a simplification of the Chicago Bears’ offensive scheme.

Brown, promoted to offensive coordinator last week after Shane Waldron was fired, found some success last Sunday when Williams drove the Bears into position for a game-winning field goal that was blocked in a 20-19 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

What showed up on film when Williams and Brown huddled to review Week 11 was a tad different from the on-field results.

Williams — the No. 1 pick in the 2024 draft still feeling his way through the gradual progression of a franchise quarterback — said the “simplified” offense isn’t one that was whittled down to aid understanding. Rather, Brown brought such a finite degree of detail and thought to each play that his call sheet eventually will become a reference point with tens of dozens of subcontext for Williams to sort in real time.

“We didn’t reinvent the wheel for those three or four days that Thomas became the offensive coordinator and play caller,” Williams said. “I think the decisiveness, all of that came from our meetings and how we’re going to do things. It came from being able to get play calls in faster and being able to get up there and not feel like you’re rushed or not feel like you need to hurry up and get the ball snapped.

“All of these small things — details of routes, details of the blocking, details of the path of running backs and how we’re going to do things — I think that led into all of what happened last week. We didn’t come out with the win, but how we played efficiently and physically, that leads into it.”

Fellow rookie and top-10 pick Rome Odunze felt like he was back at Washington for moments because of the rapidity with which Brown got calls to Williams, who relayed them to the huddle and hurried the team to the line of scrimmage with a newfound command.

There was a different type of clarity and confidence eminating from Brown down through the offensive chain of command on the field.

“As wide receivers, we’re kind of looking at the defense as well and reading those things along with Caleb. So understanding what kind of coverage look we’re getting and what technique the DBs are playing on us allows us to kind of build a plan for that snap. Same thing with Caleb,” Odunze said. “He just has to do it at a higher level. So it helps us all.”

Veteran wide receiver Keenan Allen said that in hindsight, the wheels started coming off for the Bears in training camp. In his opinion, Waldron was “too nice,” and he allowed mistakes and lack of detail and focus to become accepted.

“That’s football and that’s life,” Odunze said. “Doing the little things right will eventually show on a bigger stage.”

–Field Level Media

Aug 10, 2024; Orchard Park, New York, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) throws a pass in warm ups with head coach Matt Eberflus looking on before a pre-season game against the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-Imagn Images

Bears coach Matt Eberflus outlines decision to fire OC

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus declined to describe the process he followed before firing Shane Waldron, but said he dismissed the first-year offensive coordinator on Tuesday morning and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown to the position.

“It’s obviously a big decision. It’s not taken lightly. We’re still running the same type of verbiage,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “My decision, I’ve always used council — meeting with (GM) Ryan (Poles) on Wednesday. But my decision.”

When asked about any assurances he received about job security in the meeting with Poles and chairman George McCaskey, Eberflus said, “You know what? We weren’t talking about that. We were talking about solutions going forward.”

With a 14-29 overall record and 0-4 mark against this week’s opponent, the Green Bay Packers, Eberflus clearly felt the urgency of the situation one week after saying no change was coming at offensive coordinator.

Eberflus said players told him they want to “do more” as a group and individually and shared their frustration with him before he shared his decision to fire Waldron on Tuesday morning. Waldron spent the previous three seasons with the Seattle Seahawks and was hired to replace Luke Getsy, who was fired by the Bears at the end of the 2023 regular season.

Saying it was because the offense “struggled the last three weeks,” Eberflus said there was no choice but to find a way to get better. He said getting playmakers in the open field was a persistent problem and credited quarterback Caleb Williams for making plays, but called on the rookie to become more consistent.

Williams hasn’t thrown a TD pass during the current three-game losing streak and the Bears have allowed 15 sacks while scoring 12 points in the past two games.

To get there, Eberflus said there is only one path for Williams’ improvement: live reps.

“Caleb has been confident throughout this whole process. You have to have confidence in your abilities,” Eberflus said. “You have to have confidence in what you can do. I think that’s important.”

Brown failed to spark confidence or generate points with his last rookie No. 1 pick at the position, Bryce Young, when he was promoted to the play-caller role in 2023 with the Carolina Panthers.

But Eberflus said Brown was the best option “in the building,” noting the change at coordinator was too significant to look outside Halas Hall.

“We want efficient, effective offense. The run game, the screen game, play-action pass, dropback pass, A to Z,” Eberflus said. “What I’m looking for in the offense is creativity. Getting the guys open, it takes creativity. It takes everybody working together to find answers.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) reacts against the New England Patriots during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

Bears fire OC, toss play-calling duties to Thomas Brown

Bears passing game coordinator Thomas Brown was handed the headset and playcalling duties as Chicago searches for answers and an end to a three-game losing streak.

As part of the shakeup, offensive coordinator Shane Waldron was fired on Tuesday. Waldron received a vote of confidence eight days ago after a lopsided 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, but head coach Matt Eberflus indicated he was resigned to change on Monday.

“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,” Eberflus said in a statement released by the team. “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.”

Eberflus selected Waldron as offensive coordinator from a pool that included former Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury. Eberflus was retained as head coach by general manager Ryan Poles in January following a 7-10 season.

The present situation isn’t entirely unfamiliar to Brown.

He is being bumped into the primary play-calling role for the second consecutive season. In 2023, the 38-year-old was promoted by the Carolina Panthers with embattled coach Frank Reich giving Brown the call sheet in an effort to spare his own job and pump life into their rookie No. 1 pick at quarterback, Bryce Young.

The Bears are in a bind with the Packers (6-3) up next as confidence and production bottom out on the heels of three consecutive losses and a three-game streak during which rookie No. 1 pick Caleb Williams has zero touchdown passes.

Eberflus said Monday that Williams was safe as the starting quarterback but pointed to imminent changes around the rookie.

Williams and the Bears were dominated by the New England Patriots (3-7) on Sunday. They carry a run of 23 consecutive possessions without a touchdown into Week 11 trying to keep pace with the rest of the NFC North. Eberflus is 0-4 against Green Bay in his first two seasons as Bears head coach and will see the Packers, Lions (8-1) and Vikings (7-2) twice in the final two months of the season.

The Bears have 27 total points during a three-game slide that began with rookie Jayden Daniels’ 52-yard, game-winning Hail Mary on Oct. 27.

Chicago produced three points against the Patriots, putting up fewer than 17 points for the fifth time this season. New England sacked Williams nine times one week after the Cardinals posted six sacks against Chicago.

Brown, a former NFL running back who broke into coaching under Sean McVay with the Rams, spent nine seasons on college football staffs including three years as Miami (Fla.) running backs coach and offensive coordinator.

–Field Level Media

Oct 1, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Panthers coach Frank Reich reclaims play-calling duties from OC

Panthers head coach Frank Reich has reclaimed the primary play-calling duties he handed to offensive coordinator Thomas Brown in October.

Reich said Wednesday returning to the role has nothing to do with his job status in Carolina (1-8) amid speculation the first-year Panthers coach could be fighting for his job.

“I have not been given any ultimatum,” Reich said of his job status factoring into the reverse of his play-calling decision last month. “This is about, if I have something to give to the team, then I need to give it. Thomas and I can do it together.”

Reich reviewed the play-calling role and decided to give Brown the reins the day after the Panthers fell to 0-6 with a 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins.

Following a bye week and with Brown directing the offense, Carolina totaled three offensive touchdowns with 41 points combined in three games, beating the Texans (15-13) and losing to the Colts (27-13) and Bears (16-13).

“Obviously I was doing it earlier and didn’t have the success to the point that this has nothing to do with Thomas,” Reich said.

Rookie No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young’s development remains a focus of the offensive staff and Reich. He has eight touchdowns and seven interceptions in eight games.

Reich said Young continues to make “good plays in the clutch to keep us in it,” including last Thursday at Chicago when he converted two fourth downs in a final drive comeback bid.

Young’s next task is holding his own on Sunday against the visiting Dallas Cowboys (6-3), who have 26 sacks and 10 interceptions with three pick-sixes this season.

–Field Level Media

Bryce Young throws during Alabama's pro day. Carolina Panthers head coach Frank Reich and his assistants look on.

Syndication Tuscaloosa News

Panthers OC Thomas Brown already awed by Bryce Young

Thomas Brown can appreciate a franchise mantra of “Keep Pounding,” but the former Georgia running back knows a thing or two about evolved passing games, too.

Brown, not yet three full months into his role as offensive coordinator of the Carolina Panthers, torched his old playbook and plans a custom model fit for No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young to operate this season.

The latest branch trimmed from the Sean McVay coaching tree, Brown, 36, has energy and ideas with an appreciation for head coach Frank Reich’s relatively old-school way of thinking.

A key order of business for Brown is readying Young to compete with Andy Dalton. Brown revealed on Tuesday that Young is already getting work with “the 1s,” or first team, a trend that will continue even if the depth chart doesn’t reveal it.

Brown said he was on board “early” with the Panthers moving up to get Young. He was already familiar with Young’s tape at Alabama, and then met him for dinner in Tuscaloosa. That’s where Brown said the attention to detail and how much Young already loved preparation and self-scouting pushed him way over the top. When Brown asked Young about his week of preparation, he had to stop him when his answer hit a 17th minute.

As for the lingering height concerns and running an offense with a 5-foot-10 quarterback, Brown said, “Never cared about it. Never an issue. In my opinion, for me — I evaluate tape, we’re playing football. If we were in a competition for the tallest, the biggest, the fastest, strongest, an overall combine … maybe so.”

Reich will call the plays to start the season.

Groupthink is a theme with Reich, who has a wealth of familiar experience at his disposal. He plans to give voice to his staff, which includes senior assistant Jim Caldwell, running backs coach Duce Staley, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown and passing game coordinator Parks Frazier.

If the Panthers’ offense takes off, Brown might not be long for Charlotte. He interviewed to be offensive coordinator of the Cowboys in February, and last year was interviewed by the Miami Dolphins to be head coach. He also interviewed with Kevin O’Connell to be Minnesota Vikings offensive coordinator in 2022.

Reich said the playbook would largely be installed by this time next week. As for where Young stands, the coach rated his competency and knowledge of the offense as “complete command.”

–Field Level Media

Jun 7, 2022; Thousand Oaks, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams tight end Jamal Pettigrew (81) and tight ends coach Thomas Brown during minicamp at Cal Lutheran University. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Report: Texans request interview with Rams’ Thomas Brown

The Houston Texans have requested an interview with Los Angeles Rams assistant Thomas Brown for their head coaching vacancy, NFL Network reported Thursday.

Brown, 36, has been with the Rams since 2020 and served as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach during the 2022 season. He also helped coach the team’s running backs later in the season.

The Texans fired head coach Lovie Smith on Sunday after posting a 3-13-1 record in his lone season at the helm.

Houston is said to be looking for a younger coach to grow with a youthful team, per the report.

Brown played running back at Georgia and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Atlanta Falcons in 2008, but he never appeared in an NFL game.

He began his coaching career in the college ranks at Georgia (2011, 2015), Chattanooga (2012), Marshall (2013), Wisconsin (2014), Miami (2016-18) and South Carolina (2019) before joining Sean McVay’s staff with the Rams in 2020.

On Wednesday, McVay informed his staff members they were free to interview with other teams while he makes a decision about his future.

The Texans have not been to the playoffs since 2019, posting a combined 11-38-1 record since then under four coaches: Smith, David Culley, Romeo Crennel and Bill O’Brien.

–Field Level Media