Report: Cincinnati Bengals promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator
The Cincinnati Bengals have identified their next offensive coordinator, filling the vacancy left after Brian Callahan took the head coaching job with the Tennessee Titans.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Cincinnati is promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to fill the role. Pitcher, who has been with the Bengals since 2016, was one of the most popular offensive coordinator candidates this cycle. Originally hired by Marvin Lewis, Pitcher was retained when Zac Taylor took over as the team’s head coach in 2019. The following season, he became the quarterbacks coach — the same year Cincinnati selected Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick.
Burrow has risen to become one of the best signal-callers in the NFL, earning a Pro Bowl nomination in 2022 and leading the Bengals to the Super Bowl in 2021. Even after Burrow went down with a season-ending wrist injury midway through this season, Cincinnati’s quarterback play remained adequate. Jake Browning, who hadn’t started a game in the NFL prior to this season, went 4-3 in seven starts in place of Burrow. He threw for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 70.4% passing.
Bengals keep continuity by promoting Dan Pitcher
Pitcher, 37, interviewed for offensive coordinator vacancies this year, as well as last year. After interviewing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year, he took himself out of the running and returned to Cincinnati, citing how valued he felt by Taylor and co.
“I did interview,” Pitcher said last month, via the team’s website. “I essentially decided that the best place for me was to still be in Cincinnati this year. I talked about it at the time. I had a great experience down there. And that is a step that I’m eager to make and when the timing is right, I hope to get an opportunity to do that. And I’ll be excited when that comes. But it was a decision all about what I believe we have here, how important I felt my role in it was and how valued I feel here by Zac and Cali [Brian Callahan], the players, and everything. It was just the right thing to do.