Bears interim coach Thomas Brown will call plays, promotes Chris Beatty to offensive coordinator
Interim head coach Thomas Brown will call plays for the Bears for the rest of the season, though he promoted receivers coach Chris Beatty to offensive coordinator Monday.
Brown will move from the booth to the field to call plays, though he said, half-jokingly that he considered becoming the first head coach to stay in the booth.
Eric Washington, who was the Bears' defensive coordinator while Matt Eberflus calls played, will make the defensive calls. Richard Hightower will stay on as special teams coach.
The Bears promoted Brown to offensive coordinator three games ago, which improved the performance of quarterback Caleb Williams. He's posted a 99.2 passer rating in their three games together; in his last three under Waldron, he had a 64.7.
The step is a significant one for Brown, who's never been a head coach at any level. He's only been a play-caller in the NFL for parts of two seasons; he did it for eight games last year with the Panthers and three this season. He'll continue to call plays for the Bears, but from the sidelines instead of the coaches' booth