What an eventful offseason it's been in the AFC North division. Not for the Cincinnati Bengals, at least as of yet. They've kept things rather drama-free, unless you consider their decisions to retain Zac Taylor and Duke Tobin in their respective roles as "dramatic."
The rest of the Bengals' division moved off their head coaches. Although Taylor initially said that no changes would come to his coaching staff, that assertion could indeed be changing in the near future.
Does that make sense as articulated? I think so. Anyway, Taylor's right-hand man, offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher, is seeking greener pastures. Or at least a new team where he could be in charge of calling plays.
Pitcher fleeing the Queen City is no small scenario with regard to its ramifications on the Bengals and the rest of the NFL at large.
Bengals OC Dan Pitcher's departure could be an exciting change-up...or symbolize more of the same...
NFL Media's Ian Rapoport reported on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' interest in Pitcher as their offensive coordinator, which Taylor had to approve:
"The #Bucs will interview #Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher for their vacant OC job this week, sources say, an opportunity made possible by coach Zac Taylor giving Pitcher permission to speak to teams with play-calling OC opportunities. A significant development."
Good on Taylor for letting Pitcher try to advance his career. After all, he's been in Cincinnati since 2016 and was a holdover from Marvin Lewis' staff once Taylor took over in 2019.
Beginning in Joe Burrow's rookie season, Pitcher was the Bengals' QB coach before being promoted to OC for the 2024 campaign. He was the obvious choice in the wake of Brian Callahan leaving for the Titans' head coaching gig.
Callahan flamed out in Tennessee, however, and Burrow proceeded to have his best season to kick off Pitcher's to-date two-year tenure as offensive coordinator.
This latest update on Pitcher unfortunately sets the stage for Callahan's return to Cincinnati. Not that Callahan is a bad offensive coach or mind. He was part of the Bengals' success when they went to Super Bowl LVI and another AFC Championship Game.
It's just that...Callahan coming back would mean more of the same. And guess what? More of the same for the Bengals probably means starting slow — the uglified 2-0 start to 2025 featuring Burrow's latest injury notwithstanding — and failing to get over the hump.
While Pitcher leaving would hurt some of the Bengals' continuity, they'd instantly have the most coveted offensive coordinator gig in the sport.
Would Taylor give up play-calling duties to someone like, say, Mike McDaniel? Doubtful, but at the very least, McDaniel would fundamentally change the offense for the better. So would a lot of candidates on the market.
Heck, Taylor could tap into his Sean McVay coaching tree and hire Rams pass game coordinator Nathan Scheelhaase, a hotshot 35-year-old who's scoring multiple head coach interviews this cycle. A younger, fresher, more modern brain couldn't be anything but beneficial for Taylor and his offense.
Another intriguing possibility is as follows. Now that the bills have fired Sean McDermott, how about reuniting Burrow with Joe Brady...?
If the Bills don’t retain Joe Brady, and he doesn’t get a head coaching job, but Dan Pitcher does, we HAVE to get him
— Not Zac Taylor (@NotZacTaylor) January 19, 2026
Just think about how dangerous the Bengals' offense could be with some new wrinkles to keep opponents off-balance.
A healthy Burrow is a nightmare to slow down already. Add in someone like McDaniel, Brady, Scheelhaase, or someone of their ilk to the mix? Look out!
Maybe Mike Brown would need to shell out a bit more dough than he'd typically be comfortable with for a dynamic offensive coordinator shift. It'd be money well-spent. And a sign the Bengals are indeed serious about meaningful change.
Don't trot your boy Duke out there to just *talk* about change, Mike. Be about it.