Why Zac Taylor picked Dan Pitcher to become Bengals new offensive coordinator

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.

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“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.

“As you sit back and do the cost benefit analysis of all these potential options, I'll just keep coming back to it,” Pitcher said. “The leader in the clubhouse was right here. Just really thankful that it worked out this way."

In his role as offensive coordinator, Pitcher will take on more responsibilities and will work with more players and coaches. Taylor remains the play-caller for the Bengals but he added that Pitcher will have the loudest voice on the headset come gamedays.

The Bengals won’t be making sweeping changes on offense just because Pitcher is the new offensive coordinator. When Taylor and his staff start their offseason work, they’ll review every element of the offense and defense and make necessary changes. Pitcher will have a bigger voice in those discussions, but this offense still runs through Taylor.

“With regard to my vision for the offense I mentioned the word adaptability before. It’s something I believe in completely,” Pitcher said. “You need to have the ability to pivot in a moment’s notice given different constraints that might be placed on you. I can’t sit here and say I see the offense moving in this specific direction. I fully believe in the foundation that we have and that we have the people in place to be one of the top offenses in football.”

Continuity was important to Taylor when making his decision to promote Pitcher. Burrow is one of Pitcher’s biggest supporters and their relationship is something Cincinnati values highly. In addition to his relationship with Taylor, Pitcher’s familiarity with the franchise goes deep. Pitcher first arrived in Cincinnati when former Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis hired him in 2016. Taylor opted to keep Pitcher on his staff when he was hired in 2019 and made him the assistant quarterbacks coach.

“Our relationship is as good as it gets,” said Burrow. “I wouldn’t be the player I am today without him. He’s been preparing for this for years. He takes his job very seriously and does it with a lot of passion.”

The feeling is mutual from Pitcher’s standpoint. Pitcher and Burrow have worked together every season since Burrow was drafted by the Bengals in 2020. To work with Burrow for another season in an elevated role is Pitcher’s dream scenario. If the Bengals and Burrow are successful on offense in 2024, Pitcher could follow in Callahan’s footsteps and earn a head coaching job.

After five years of unprecedented continuity on his staff, Taylor has the luxury of not having to start from scratch with his new offensive coordinator. The players, coaches and front office members all know what Pitcher stands for and what he likes.

And he vows to make the most of the opportunity he has in front of him.

“This has been a long time coming for me. I’ve been a part of this organization now for eight years, this feels like home to me. There are people here, really at all levels in the building, that time and time again have shown belief in me. To me, this is just one more step in that journey and it’s something that I know I’m ready for. The plan is to juts continue to prove those people right. I’m excited to get started."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Bengals introduce new offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher