Former Panthers OC Thomas Brown hired by Bears

Two recent NFC offensive coordinators will be part of the Chicago Bears’ 2024 staff as Thomas Brown is reportedly joining the franchise as passing game coordinator.

It was clear for weeks that Brown wouldn't be returning to Carolina. On Tuesday, the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs reported that Brown will join former colleague Shane Waldron, who previously led the Seattle Seahawks offense.

Brown and Waldron both come from the Sean McVay coaching tree. The former worked on McVay’s Rams staff from 2020-22. Brown and Waldron worked together for the 2020 Rams.

Now Brown will work under Waldron, who has already been announced as the Bears offensive coordinator.

Other teams interviewed Brown for their OC jobs, but he will head for Illinois. The Bears brought in Brown for an OC interview earlier this month, but hired Waldron soon after. As the Bears prepare for a monumental decision on offense — one that almost definitely comes down to a future with Justin Fields or Caleb Williams — they will have two former McVay staffers running the show whenever that call is made.

The Panthers hired Brown as their OC last year. While NFL history suggested it was safe for Brown to expect Frank Reich to be retained for at least two years, David Tepper bucked that by firing the longtime HC after 11 games. This came after Reich had yanked play-calling duties back from Brown following an initial three-week run. Brown finished the season as the Panthers’ play-caller, but as the team has made retaining DC Ejiro Evero a priority from Reich’s staff, it never stood in the way of Brown looking elsewhere.

An abysmal Panthers season led to the Reich firing and an eventual Dave Canales pickup. Canales has brought in Brad Idzik, who also worked under Waldron in Seattle, to be his non-play-calling OC. The Panthers ranked 31st on offense under Reich and Brown, but the latter interviewed for the Bears, Patriots and Steelers’ jobs. Although the New England position has not been filled, Brown may not have been the favorite. The Steelers hired Arthur Smith earlier today.

Brown will rejoin D.J. Moore in Chicago, though the two did not exactly overlap long in Carolina. The Panthers traded their top wide receiver to the Bears — in the Bryce Young swap — barely a month after hiring Brown. Moore represents a key piece as the Bears evaluate their quarterback situation, with Waldron and Brown input potentially on tap as the top offensive voices in the building.