The Cincinnati Bengals are at risk of losing a key offensive assistant this offseason.

On Tuesday, the Los Angeles Chargers fired offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

Shortly after Lombardi was let go, The Athletic's Daniel Popper named Bengals quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher as a possible offensive coordinator option for the Chargers.

From The Athletic:

Pitcher has spent the past seven seasons coaching for the Bengals, including the past four on Zac Taylor’s staff. He was the assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 before being promoted to quarterbacks coach in 2020 for Joe Burrow’s rookie season. Taylor spent two seasons coaching under McVay, including one season as quarterbacks coach in 2018 before the Bengals hired him as their head coach.

One downside to success in the NFL is that other franchises will swipe assistants from the top teams.

And the Bengals might get a taste of that this offseason.

However, I'm not positive that Pitcher will leave Cincinnati if he's offered the job by Los Angeles.

Sure, it would be tough to turn down a promotion. But Pitcher will be the logical choice to replace Brian Callahan as Cincinnati's offensive coordinator if/when Callahan is hired as a head coach.

Pitcher could then work as the Bengals' playcaller for a year or two before he's likely scooped up as a head coach.

Would Pitcher prefer to stay in Cincy where he knows a promotion is imminent? Or does he want to go to Los Angeles to work for a coach who some thought might get fired after blowing a 27-point lead in the payoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars?

Pitcher could torpedo his career if things don't go well in LA. But he knows he's got a good thing going in Cincinnati. And if he remains patient, he'll get a head coaching job without having to leave the Bengals.

By the way, Pitcher is the only quarterbacks coach that Joe Burrow has had since being drafted No. 1 overall by Cincinnati in 2020.

I don't think a new quarterbacks coach in 2023 would be a major setback for Burrow and the Bengals, but it's still a transition they'd have to go through.

Brad Kragthorpe, who worked with Burrow at LSU in 2018, would likely be the new quarterbacks coach if Pitcher leaves Cincinnati this offseason.

Featured image via Albert Cesare/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK