Bears fire Shane Waldron: Matt Eberflus releases statement

News dropped on Tuesday morning that the Chicago Bears (4-5) fired offensive coordinator Shane Waldron after just nine games into his first season with the team.

Taking the place of Waldron will be Thomas Brown Jr., who spent last year as the offensive coordinator for the Carolina Panthers before being hired to the Chicago staff before this season. Brown has been promoted from offensive passing game coordinator to offensive coordinator.

In a statement released by head coach Matt Eberflus, he said that he felt it was in the best interest of the team to move in a different direction with the leadership of the offense.

"After evaluating our entire operation, I decided that it is in the best interest of our team to move in a different direction with the leadership of our offense," Eberflus said in the official statement. "This decision was well-thought-out, one that was conducted deliberately and respectfully. I would like to thank Shane for his efforts and wish him the best moving forward."

The Bears as an offense ranked at the bottom of several categories through the first nine games of the season, and has looked completely lost as they're on a three-game losing streak. With the offensive weapons around rookie quarterback, No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Caleb Williams, the urgency to make change on the offense was major.

When meeting with the media on Monday, Eberflus did not have any news on a potential change, but just 24 hours later, he and the team announced the change. After spending three seasons as the Seattle Seahawks offensice coordinator, Waldron lasted just nine games with Chicago. Moving forward, the Bears will now shift their focus to their bitter rival, the Green Bay Packers, with a new coaching offensive leader on deck.

This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears fire Shane Waldron: Matt Eberflus releases statement