-
Ben Baby, ESPN Staff Writer
CINCINNATI — The Bengals didn’t wait long to fill an important vacancy, promoting Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator, the team announced Thursday.
The promotion was made one day after Brian Callahan, who previously held the position, was announced as the Tennessee Titans‘ new head coach.
“I’m excited for Dan and his opportunity to increase his role on our staff,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said in a statement. “He has excelled in his job of helping develop our quarterbacks over the past five years. He has been a top contributor to our scheme and that role will now increase. I look forward to seeing him continue to grow in this new position.”
Pitcher, 37, has been with the Bengals since 2016, when he was hired on the staff of former coach Marvin Lewis. He has been the team’s primary quarterbacks coach since 2020, the year Cincinnati drafted Joe Burrow with the No. 1 pick.
Earlier this month, Taylor, who handles the offensive playcalling, praised Pitcher’s work with backup quarterback Jake Browning, who started the final seven games of the 2023 season after Burrow suffered a season-ending injury.
In 2023, Pitcher interviewed to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers‘ offensive coordinator. He was also reportedly in the mix for the same position with other teams this season before the Bengals promoted him.
Pitcher, who played quarterback at Cortland State, started his NFL career in 2012 as a scouting assistant with the Indianapolis Colts. In 2016, he joined the Bengals to work with the team’s receivers before switching roles to work with the quarterbacks.
Before the Bengals played the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game in January 2023, Burrow lauded the work of Pitcher and Cincinnati’s coaching staff, saying they have a “great working relationship.”
Source: www.espn.com