The Bears are firing OC Shane Waldron, according to multiple reports. He'll be replaced by passing-game coordinator Thomas Brown.
Brown previously served as Carolina's OC in 2023 (tough task), though he didn't call the offensive plays there until HC Frank Reich got fired with six games remaining.
Brown also spent three years as an assistant under Sean McVay with the Rams and three years coordinating the offense at University of Miami.
We'll see how the philosophy might shift under the former RB and RBs coach, but don't expect sweeping changes to the offense midway through QB Caleb Williams' first NFL season.
We're hoping for improvements in play calling and personnel usage for a Bears offense that sports plenty of talent.
Of course, Williams' struggles have played a key role as well. The rookie ranks last among QBs in accuracy from clean pockets. Brown's biggest initial challenge will be helping Williams improve that, which in turn would help the fantasy outlook for all Chicago offensive pieces.
This is a positive move for the Bears' offense, which Waldron clearly wasn't helping. But don't overrate the impact before we actually see how much changes.
We'll need to see significant improvement from Williams before trusting him in fantasy lineups again.
It's a shorter trip for the other skill-position players, though.
D'Andre Swift might be the easiest candidate for a rebound. His overall workloads have been strong, including 16+ carries in six straight games. His target counts have varied much more, though.
Increasing Swift's receiving opportunities could help the RB, the struggling QB, and the offense on whole. And Brown's extensive background as a RB, an RBs coach, and a coach with McVay -- who has helped support plenty of RB production -- should help.
The WRs will need Williams to improve. But there's room for D.J. Moore and Rome Odunze to become more helpful fantasy assets.
TE Cole Kmet will be interesting to watch. Waldron has lots of history with TE Gerald Everett, coaching him at every NFL stop so far. Will Waldron's exit help stabilize the receiving role for Kmet, who has been on the field but seen his target shares fluctuate wildly?
He's at least worth stashing on rosters for now while we see. Brown also coached TEs in his final season with the Rams.
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