AFC North rival shows interest in messing up Zac Taylor’s plan for Bengals coaching continuity
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher is being looked at for a head-coaching gig.
Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor wants to keep his coaching staff intact, but the other NFL club in Ohio might get in the way of that.
Per The Athletic’s Dianna Russini, Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher has been requested to interview for the Cleveland Browns head-coaching job.
Dan Pitcher’s coaching history with Bengals spans a decade
Pitcher has been Cincinnati’s OC since 2024. He was promoted from quarterbacks coach, the job he held from 2020-23, after former OC Brian Callahan left to become the HC of the Tennessee Titans. Callahan was fired by Tennessee during the 2025 season.
The Bengals have had Pitcher in the building longer than they’ve had Taylor lead the coaching staff. Pitcher was first hired by former HC Marvin Lewis in 2016 as an offensive assistant involving wide receivers. He held that gig for two seasons before focusing on quarterbacks in 2018. Taylor kept him as a holdover and named him the assistant QB coach in 2019.
Cleveland fired HC Kevin Stefanski on Monday, and Pitcher is just one of several candidates set to interview for the gig. There’s even reason to believe he’s a favorite to land the Browns’ job.
Browns have ‘fans’ of Pitcher in Cleveland
The Browns will first interview OC Tommy Rees and DC Jim Schwartz before Pitcher may join later on, but according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Pitcher has support from those inside the organization already.
Cleveland has been able to keep tabs on Pitcher for the last 10 years, and with his ascension within the Bengals’ ranks, it makes sense why the Browns would value one of the main figureheads in an offense led by Joe Burrow.
Cleveland also requested to interview Baltimore Ravens OC Todd Monken before Baltimore fired HC John Harbaugh.
Pitcher is the most likely assistant coach to leave Cincinnati this offseason. The Bengals ranked 12th in points per game and 10th in success rate this season despite starting three different QBs thanks to Joe Burrow’s turf toe injury. Pitcher played a major role in that, and other teams in search of a new leader with offensive expertise may want a piece of it.
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