It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Bengals to find a suitable offensive coordinator replacement. They didn’t even need to glance outside the building, actually. Dan Pitcher, the quarterbacks coach, was promoted to offensive coordinator, the team said on Thursday. Pitcher takes over for former offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who recently agreed to become the Tennessee Titans’ head coach.
Pitcher was the obvious choice to take Callahan’s place after he signed a contract with the Titans. Nevertheless, Pitcher might have been the one to leave town if Callahan had stayed in Cincinnati. This cycle, he was one of the more well-liked offensive coordinator prospects, drawing interest from the New England Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders, and New Orleans Saints.
Pitcher remarked, “I couldn’t be more excited and energized by this opportunity,” in a team statement. “I adore this organization and am incredibly appreciative of Duke Tobin, Zac Taylor, Mike Brown, and the families of Blackburn and Brown. It means the world to me that they think I’m capable of handling this role, and I’ll do everything in my power to add as much value as I can to this team. Oliver, my kid, and I are thrilled to be able to carry on our journey in this fantastic city with my wife Marissa. Who’s That?
The 37-year-old joined the Bengals in 2016 after making his NFL debut as an offensive assistant. 2019 saw the promotion of pitcher to assistant quarterbacks coach following the hiring of Zac Taylor”With Pitcher, our relationship is as good as it gets,” Burrow remarked. Without him, I couldn’t be the player I am today. He’s spent years getting ready for this. He works extremely hard and passionately at what he does.”
“I’m excited for Dan and his opportunity to increase his role on our staff,” Taylor said. Over the past five years, he has performed a fantastic job of assisting in the development of our quarterbacks. He has made significant contributions to our plan, and he will now play a bigger part. I’m excited to watch him develop even more in this new role.”
On top of his experience with the organization, Cincinnati was undoubtedly the top vacancy for an offensive coordinator. It’s about as desirable a place as there is in the game, with Burrow established as one of the top five quarterbacks in the league and Ja’Marr Chase among the greatest receivers.
Over his career (including while teaching under Pitcher), Burrow has averaged 270.8 passing yards per game, has a 98.6 passer rating, and in 52 games during the regular season, he has completed 68% of his throws. Over those four years, he has also passed for 97 touchdowns to just 37 interceptions.
