The Washington Commanders are set to interview Los Angeles Rams assistant head coach and tight ends coach Thomas Brown for their open offensive coordinator position.
Brown, who first joined the NFL coaching ranks in 2020, when the Rams hired him as a running backs coach, has 12 seasons of experience, most of which comes from the college level. He has coached for six programs, including Georgia (two stints), the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Marshall, Wisconsin, Miami and South Carolina.
Brown played three seasons at running back in the NFL and was drafted in the sixth round by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008. Brown also spent time with the Cleveland Browns on their practice squad.
Brown was a four-year contributor for Georgia and rushed for 2,646 yards during his career. He helped the Bulldogs get to the 2005 SEC Championship and scored 25 total touchdowns.
As an NFL coach, Brown has had a strong start to his professional career. Brown helped the Rams' rush for 2,018 yards during his first season with the organization. The team was led by the rushing duo of Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson, both of whom rushed for at least 600 yards and combined for seven touchdowns.
The Rams averaged 126.1 yards per game that season, which was 10th in the league.
In 2021, when the Rams won the Super Bowl over Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Brown was promoted to the assistant head coach position and helped Sony Michel rush for 845 yards and four touchdowns, both of which are the third-best totals of his career.
Brown has most recently worked with the Rams' tight ends and helped Tyler Higbee finish second on the team with 620 receiving yards, second only to Cooper Kupp.
At the collegiate level, Brown has worked with some of the better running backs over the past decade. In 2015, he helped Michel rush for 1,136 yards, which accounted for 45% of the team's 2,513-yard total for the season, and collect 11 total touchdowns.
At Wisconsin, Brown worked with Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon, who recorded the second-best season by a running back with 2,587 yards and 32 touchdowns in 2014. Gordon and Corey Clement combined to rush for 3,536 yards, which broke an FBS record.
In 2017, Brown helped Miami running back Travis Horner earn Second Team All-ACC honors despite earning the starting role five games into the season. In the previous season, running back Mark Walton became the 11th running back in program history to rush for at least 1,000 yards.
