The Cincinnati Bengals made things official with Dan Pitcher on Thursday when they announced the 37-year-old former quarterbacks coach as their new offensive coordinator.
It was a move pretty much everyone inside and outside of the building expected because of the job Pitcher has done over the last five seasons. His role in getting the quarterbacks ready to go was highlighted at the highest level this year when quarterback Joe Burrow suffered a season-ending wrist injury that forced the Bengals to turn to Jake Browning to start for the rest of the season.
“It’s a position that he’s really earned,” Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said on Thursday during an introductory press conference for Pitcher. “He’s been here longer than the five years I’ve been here, and I think he’s impressed us every step of the way and continued to take on more responsibility and played an integral part in really helping our quarterbacks have the success they’ve had over the last several years.”
Pitcher is a young coach and is already a name to watch around the NFL. Following the 2022 season, Pitcher earned interviews for vacant offensive coordinator positions for the first time. The Bengals rewarded him with a new contract, and he stayed in Cincinnati.
Then, as mentioned, his name became even more popular in league circles because of the importance of the quarterback position in today’s NFL. His work with Browning earned him more opportunities this time around.
When things started to trend in the direction that former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan would become the new head coach of the Tennessee Titans, Taylor didn’t have to look far for who would replace Callahan.
Pitcher has been groomed to take over this position for years now. It was, however, a matter of timing. The Titans hiring Callahan early in this head coaching cycle helped the Bengals keep Pitcher.
It was widely reported that Pitcher was scheduled to interview with the Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints for their vacant offensive coordinator positions. The Bengals acted fast and gave Pitcher a promotion quickly.
Pitcher admitted he was hopeful it would work out the way it did as he wanted to stay in Cincinnati to continue to work with Taylor and Burrow. He was also flattered by the interest from other teams.
