Cincinnati Bengals' Dan Pitcher Makes Kansas City Chiefs Admission

The Cincinnati Bengals are just four seasons removed from their Super Bowl appearance in 2021. Losing to the Los Angeles Rams in that tightly contested game, Cincinnati had to feel after that loss that it would be back on that stage soon.

Losing in the AFC Championship Game the next season to the Kansas City Chiefs, Cincinnati again fell short. In the last three seasons, the Bengals have missed the playoffs entirely. Going 9–8 in both 2023 and 2024, Cincinnati took another step backwards last season, finishing 6–11. A lot of this was due to Joe Burrow appearing in just eight games, but there were deeper issues, most notably a defense that ranked 30th in points allowed out of 32 NFL teams.

In the ever-changing NFL landscape, three straight postseason absences after a Super Bowl loss and conference championship game loss can often mean coaching turnover. But for the Bengals, head coach Zac Taylor remains at the helm, having been there since 2019.

Offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher has also been with the organization for quite some time, joining as an offensive assistant in 2016 before becoming the assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019, the quarterbacks coach from 2020 to 2023 and then eventually the offensive coordinator in 2024.

This type of continuity at the coaching level can be rare, and it’s something Pitcher himself spoke on recently via Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator specifically pointed to the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, admitting that their recent dynasties are the model of consistency to follow.

"Especially when you found your quarterback, and at that point, I think there's a lot of case studies over the course of time in this league that show you that continuity, once you have that guy, makes a lot of sense," Pitcher said. "There's a lot of Super Bowl rings in New England and Kansas City that would back that up."

What was interesting is Pitcher specifically pointing out the importance of this once a franchise has found their quarterback. The Bengals of course have one in Burrow, drafting the three-time Pro Bowl quarterback out of LSU first overall in 2020. Since then, Burrow has made 77 starts for the franchise, passing for over 20,000 yards and 157 touchdowns.

The pairing between Pitcher and Burrow has been a productive one, as the Bengals are consistently in the top half of the league offensively. The problem has been on the other end of the ball, which has been something the Bengals have attempted to address this offseason, especially in light of Trey Hendrickson’s departure to the Baltimore Ravens in NFL free agency.

Also with the 10th overall pick in this upcoming NFL Draft, Cincinnati has an opportunity to significantly improve this roster. While they have a long ways to go to even build the infrastructure of a dynasty like the ones Pitcher mentioned in Kansas City and New England, the Bengals have their quarterback and continuity in the coaching staff, which is a start.