Thomas Brown, whom the NFL Players Association deemed the league’s second-best offensive coordinator in a poll of its players earlier this month, will become the Bears’ passing game coordinator, a source confirmed Tuesday night.
The Bears interviewed Brown for their offensive coordinator job earlier this month. He might be the most high-profile Bears addition of the offseason, including their two new coordinators. He interviewed with the Panthers for their head coaching job earlier this month and with the Texans for the same job last year. He spent 2023 as the Panthers’ offensive coordinator, calling plays for part of the season, and spoke with Steelers about their coordinator vacancy last week.
Brown worked with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in 2020 when the former was the Rams running backs coach and the latter was the passing game coordinator. Brown was promoted to assistant head coach in 2021 and moved from running backs coach to tight ends coach in 2022 before joining the Panthers.
Waldron will call plays. Both he and Brown will develop the Bears’ quarterback, be it incumbent Justin Fields or draft pick Caleb Williams.
The 37-year-old played running back at Georgia and served as a college coach from 2011-19.
