According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, Thomas Brown, a former offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers, is joining the Chicago Bears as their passing game coordinator. When Brown and offensive coordinator Shane Waldron were under Sean McVay’s coaching in the Los Angeles Rams, they collaborated previously.
Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, interviewed three candidates, including Brown, for the position of offensive coordinator with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The other candidate was Jerrod Johnson, the quarterback coach of the Houston Texans, who will stay in Houston to continue leading rising star C.J. Stroud. Although it seemed unlikely, there was a chance that the Steelers would try to entice Johnson to Pittsburgh with Smith by adding a new title to his existing one, such as “pass game coordinator.” be happening. Likewise for Brown, but he’s moving on to Chicago.
After working under head coach McVay for the previous three seasons, Brown was the offensive coordinator for Carolina during the 2023 season under Frank Reich. Prior to the Bears hiring Waldron as their offensive coordinator, he also had an interview with them. He also had a chance to be the New England Patriots’ open offensive coordinator.
Before taking the position in Carolina, Brown worked as a tight ends coach and assistant head coach for the running backs. After a brief three-season NFL career as a running back, he began coaching in 2011.
Brown also had a Super Bowl victory with the Rams, but his Carolina debut did not go well. To begin with, he did not even call the opening plays of the season. Though head coach Frank Reich did at first, by the end of the season, Brown would have called the plays after some back and forth. For quarterback Bryce Young in his first year, the offense was a complete bust. It’s difficult to really place all of that on Brown because it was a chaotic environment.
Brown, 37, is well-liked throughout the NFL after being selected as the league’s second-best offensive coordinator in a recent NFLPA player survey. He is McVay’s backup and one of the league’s brightest prospects for an offensive coordinator. Steelers fans admired McVay’s coaching Zac Robinson, the quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator for the Rams, was requested to be interviewed for the offensive coordinator position by tree, but Robinson never did so because he followed Raheem Morris to Atlanta.
Instead, the Steelers selected Smith because he fits the organization’s philosophy and has experience as an offensive coordinator—something Mike Tomlin values. Ground and pound is the Steelers’ preferred style of play.