Courtney Cronin, ESPN Staff Writer
It was a snapshot of a relationship that is open to interpretation. Offensive coordinator Shane Waldon appeared to be smiling Sunday as he sat next to quarterback Caleb Williams on the bench, but his disgruntled look was evident in Chicago’s 19-3 loss to the New England Patriots. -It reflected the Bears’ offensive woes.
Whether the glimpses of conflicting feelings meant the two sides weren’t on the same page was at issue Tuesday when the Bears fired Waldron, a first-year player.
Waldron coincidentally replaced Luke Ghezzi, who was fired from the same position last week with the Las Vegas Raiders, but his primary role will be similar to that of Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. The aim was to bring out Williams’ talent to the fullest. 2022.
But Waldron has only gotten sporadic moments of good performance from Williams, the No. 1 pick in April, who has seemed to be down in recent weeks. That responsibility now passes to Thomas Brown, who has been promoted from passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator.
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Like Waldron, Brown was one of nine candidates the Bears interviewed for the offensive coordinator position in January. Coach Matt Eberflus said Brown’s experience in the same role with the Carolina Panthers during 2023 No. 1 pick Bryce Young’s rookie season was interesting.
The Bears have Kliff Kingsbury, whose job it was to prepare Williams for the NFL as a senior offensive analyst at USC, to build the Atlanta Falcons’ offense into a top-five passing unit and the league’s 12th-ranked passing unit. He chose Waldron over Zach Robinson, who he had built up. Rank rush attack.
Kingsbury became the offensive coordinator for the Washington Commanders, where he helps coach rookie quarterback Jaden Daniels, who was drafted No. 1 after Williams and is currently the frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year. .
The Bears also passed on three other candidates who won the offensive coordinator job this cycle: Liam Cohen of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, No. 8 on offense, and Clint Kubiak of the New Orleans Saints, No. 16 on offense. and Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator Greg Roman (22nd).
Waldron was Everflus’ first choice “because of his communication skills and ability to communicate things clearly and concisely.” On Monday, Eberflus emphasized that the biggest issue is “in-game communication” and promised to make changes to bring about one of the NFL’s least efficient offenses.
After a 1-2 start, Chicago’s offensive line, which includes Williams, tight end Cole Kmet, wide receiver DJ Moore and tight end Marcedes Lewis, all of whom are captains, has lost control of Waldron. He visited his father and asked for stricter guidance.
“Don’t think you can’t coach us,” veteran tight end Lewis said in September. “I want to be coached. I want to be great.”
Eberflus is in his third offensive coordinator role, having been hired by Chicago in 2022. With three straight losses and back-to-back O coordinators Goetzee and Waldron backfiring, Eberflus knows he’s on a roll. The Bears enter the toughest part of the season with the remaining strength of one of the toughest schedules in the NFL to earn a seat.
Chicago begins District 6 play in eight weeks when the Green Bay Packers (6-3, 1-1) come to Soldier Field in Week 11. The Bears have lost 10 straight to their NFC North rival.
Brown, who took over play-calling duties, inherited an offense in disarray. During their three-game losing streak, with losses to Washington, Arizona and New England, the Bears became the only team in the NFL without a passing touchdown. Over the same period, Chicago ranks last in points per game (9.0), yards per play (3.7), third-down conversion rate (15%) and touchdowns (2).
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Saturday: Bears’ OC isn’t the only reason for the team’s offensive struggles
Jeff Saturday explains the Bears’ offensive struggles and what led to Shane Waldron’s firing.
During that losing streak, Williams has ranked near the bottom in nearly every major passing statistic among QBs with at least two starts. He ranks 32nd in completion percentage (50.5), yards per attempt (4.9) and sacks (18), tied for 31st in passing touchdowns (0) and tied for 30th in total QBR (21.2). There is.
Williams has a lot of things to fix, including his timing and proactive throwing. Williams has missed the mark on 13% of his pitches, which ranks 33rd among eligible quarterbacks.
Holding onto the ball too much also remains a problem. Through nine games, Williams has had 36 dropbacks in which he held the ball for more than five seconds, the most in the NFL. He was pressured on an NFL-high 33 (92%) of his dropbacks, and 15 of those resulted in sacks.
It’s a trend Williams has continued since his time at USC, with 44 such dropbacks (second-most in the FBS) in 2023, one season after winning the Heisman Trophy.
On Monday afternoon, Eberflus met with Williams to find out how the rookie is handling the recent loss in which he was sacked a career-high nine times.
“I just want to take his temperature, I want to know where he is, what his confidence level is and how high it is,” Eberflus said Monday. “…We’re 4-5 and have lost three in a row, but it’s important to get us on the right track here as well.”
That includes finding ways to take advantage of Chicago’s offensive talent. Kmet has an 85.3 percent catch rate and has three catches for 27 yards since catching two touchdowns in the Bears’ last win over Jacksonville, 35-16. Coach Brown must find a way to stimulate underutilized talents like receivers Moore and Keenan Allen, as well as running back D’Andre Swift, who is scoring a touchdown in each game. They were two games removed from a four-week stretch.
“Thomas has a smart offensive mind and has experience using a collaborative mindset to make play decisions,” Eberflus said in a statement. “I look forward to his leadership of our offensive coaching staff and his plans for our players.”
