Bears should consider keeping Thomas Brown for 2025 after Matt Eberflus firing

The Chicago Bears, for the first time in the history of a franchise that is over 100 years old, made an in-season coaching change. Head coach Matt Eberflus was fired after losing six straight games following a 4-2 start, while offensive coordinator Thomas Brown will be named the interim head coach.

Eberflus proved to be a quality defensive mind that revitalized the Bears' defense, but his poor hiring of offensive coordinators, inability to stack wins against divisional opponents, and end-of-game management that was so poor it almost appeared to be on purpose contributed to a 14-32 record with the Bears.

Brown was the team's passing game coordinator just three weeks ago, and now he's in charge of the entire ship. While this could be a case of taking on too much, as Jeff Ulbrich has done with the Jets, it could also give the Bears a glimpse at the future.

After Brown has given the Bears' offense life and contributed to the recent improvement from rookie quarterback Caleb Williams, there's a very real possibility that he could ride that wave of momentum to become the permanent head coach in 2025.

Bears interim head coach Thomas Brown could be permanent head coach in 2025

The one silver lining through all of this has been Williams, who is looking like the No. 1 pick he was supposed to be. Williams, who recently set an NFL rookie record for most consecutive passes without an interception, has 12 touchdown passes and one interception since Week 4 and has looked much better since Shane Waldron was fired.

Brown, a rising star in the coaching ranks at just 38 years old, spent three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams as running backs coach, tight ends coach, and assistant head coach over three seasons. After an ill-fated OC stint with Bryce Young in Carolina (where he didn't call plays), Brown seems to have connected with Williams.

The Bears have enough infrastructure on the defensive of the ball to play like an average unit no matter who the defensive coordinator is. Priority No. 1 should be ensuring Williams stays great, and Brown has already shown an aptitude for that in his brief stint in charge of the offense.

The Bears need to consider, however, if past failed interim coaches like Freddie Kitchens and Antonio Pierce will be a preview of what Brown could look like.

The million-dollar question for the Bears will be determining just how responsible Brown was in Williams' recent improvements. If Caleb's natural talent is shining through, that doesn't help his case. If the two already have great vhemistry, Chicago may have stumbled backward into their next head coach.