When Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles put together his plan in the spring to surround No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams with the proper support, this couldn’t be what Poles had in mind.
Nine games into Williams’ rookie season, his development — and the Bears offense — had taken such a concerning step back that coach Matt Eberflus fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron and promoted passing game coordinator Thomas Brown. The midseason upheaval is obviously not ideal, but the Bears hope Brown’s fresh approach to leadership and perspective on the offense will help unlock Williams.
In the previous three games, Williams completed just 50.5% of his passes for 468 yards with no touchdowns, 18 sacks and a 64.7 passer rating. Eberflus has said Williams remains the starter, so it falls on Brown to turn him around.
Brown, who was the Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator in 2023 during Bryce Young’s rookie season, said that he had a positive conversation with Williams after Eberflus made the moves Tuesday and that the quarterback was receptive to Brown’s views on how Williams can improve.
“Clearly, obviously, quarterback’s the most difficult position, so we’ve got to be better all around him,” Brown said Wednesday in a news conference at Halas Hall. “But it also starts with how we coach it, being more detailed, being more demanding with not just him, but also with the entire staff as well.”
Williams didn’t give a direct answer when asked whether the change from Waldron was necessary.
He said he thought Bears leaders had properly seen his frustration with how the offense was going, but he didn’t think he could have given much input to influence the decision. Eberflus said he consulted with team leaders, including Williams, and the players shared their frustration but didn’t ask for the move.
“I don’t get to choose the decisions, nor do I get to choose whether the decision is good, bad or indifferent,” Williams said. “My job is to listen and from there go do my job.”
Williams did acknowledge the difficulty of the change, however, after he spent so much time working with Waldron to learn the offense and begin his NFL career.
Now the Bears have four days of practices and walk-throughs under Brown to get in sync with their new coordinator before hosting the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Soldier Field.
“It’s tough, just because you work for however many months (with Waldron),” Williams said. “I kind of knew Shane before being drafted here because of the process, building that relationship. The guy you’ve been trying to get on the same page with isn’t here anymore. So now you have to adjust — and you have to adjust fast because we’re in the division now.
“It’s an important game for us, not only because it’s divisional, but obviously it’s the Packers. We have to handle it like that, and I have to handle the situation I’m in.”
Eberflus said he thought the coaches did a good job of working together to find answers on their first day in the new setup.
But Williams still has work to do in establishing a rapport with Brown, especially considering the Bears were intentional about not having too many voices in Williams’ ear. Brown has been in the offensive meeting room with Williams, but now he becomes one of the quarterback’s primary point people.
“We haven’t really talked much throughout this time, just because we haven’t been in the position to be having so many conversations,” Williams said. “So far, he’s pretty detailed, like Coach (Eberflus) talked about, tough. It’s going to help us as a football team moving forward, and we’re excited.”
“Detailed” was a common description of Brown on Wednesday, a noteworthy one considering Bears players have spoken of a lack of focus and attention to detail that plagued recent work under Waldron.
One of Brown’s first answers when talking about fixing the offense was about the need for players and coaches to approach meetings, walk-throughs and practices with the proper effort, attitude, detail and focus.
“Direct” was another frequently used adjective, including by Brown himself when asked how he will work with Williams.
And Eberflus wants to see what Brown can bring to the Bears in terms of creativity, “working the guys into open positions on the field.” Williams already has a vision of what the Bears can expect on the field under Brown.
“I think we’ll do a good job of marrying everything up together and making everything look the same,” Williams said. “And then, from there, get a few easier passes, a few extra layups. That will help us in the run game. It will help us in the pass game.
“From there, that will provide a little more explosiveness for us as an offense, being able to help out with the complementary football and be a little more attacking.”
Brown declined to compare his situation this season to the one last year, when he also was asked to step in midseason to call plays — in two separate stints — for Young, who finished the season 2-14 as a starter. But Brown said he gladly accepts the pressure of the situation as he tries to get another No. 1 pick back on track.
Despite Williams’ recent struggles, Brown said he thinks the quarterback does many things well.
“When it comes to his natural ability, from throwing the football, it’s clear and obvious,” Brown said. “Being able to understand how to get the ball out of his hands as fast as possible when it comes to the concepts we dial up, but also being able to let him use his natural, God-given ability at times when it’s relevant. Not every play but when it comes to especially situational ball — third down, red zone — and come alive with that.”
Williams’ teammates also offered public support Wednesday as they try to help him dig out of a rough few weeks.
“The talent isn’t the question,” wide receiver Keenan Allen said. “It’s more of the mastering the game plan. Understanding what the play is, where the play is and being able to do it without thinking about it and letting your talent show.”
Tight end Cole Kmet said players continue to have faith in the rookie. He saw a report on social media that some Bears veterans suggested benching Williams for backup Tyson Bagent. While Kmet said those conversations didn’t happen, he did say there have been discussions about what can be done to help Williams get back on track.
“All of those conversations have been about trying to help him out wherever we can and finding solutions,” Kmet said. “Look, guys are frustrated. I’m not shy saying that. We’re definitely frustrated with where the offense has been.
“But all of this has been guided to help him out and get him rolling again. We’ve seen what he can do when things get rolling, and we want to get him back to that point.”
