When Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher was set to interview for a head coaching position with the Cleveland Browns, fans started to prepare for his exit and wondered how the Bengals would replace him. Cleveland’s interest appears to have cooled, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also interviewed Pitcher for their offensive coordinator position, which would have given him a chance to be a play-caller, since Zac Taylor handles those duties in Cincinnati.
Tampa Bay decided to go a different route, hiring former Bengals quarterback Zac Robinson as the team’s next offensive coordinator. Robinson spent 2011 through 2013 as a reserve quarterback for the Bengals. He lands in Tampa, so Pitcher stays in Cincinnati… for now.
The fact that Zac Taylor allowed Pitcher to interview for what is technically a lateral move shows that, as other teams fill their head coaching vacancies and build their staffs, Pitcher could get consideration from those clubs, and Taylor appears inclined to let him explore those opportunities.
A chance to call plays would likely help Pitcher’s resume if he does hope to be a head coach someday, so we could expect Pitcher to have interest in other clubs, should they come calling.
If Pitcher leaves, Brian Callahan would be the favorite to return to Cincinnati to handle the offensive coordinator duties. Callahan worked under Taylor in the back-to-back AFC Championship game runs before becoming the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, where he was fired during the middle of the 2025 season.
Pitcher is in Cincinnati for now, but it is far from a sure thing that he’s back in the coaches’ box for the Bengals in 2026.
See More:
