Dan Pitcher Is Ready To Run With Bengals’ Offense
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The Cincinnati Bengals offense looks different this season, but the changes are for the best, especially within the coaching staff. Brian Callahan left to take over the Tennessee Titans head coaching job, and what initially looked like a big loss actually could be what gets this team over the hump. Dan Pitcher served as the Bengals quarterbacks coach and during that time, he elevated the play of both Joe Burrow and Jake Browning. There might have been some questions outside the organization about who would take over as offensive coordinator, but inside the walls of the Bengals, the answer was always Pitcher.
Pitcher might not be a household name across the league yet, but he has the potential to be the type of coordinator whose star rises quickly. If so, he might only stay in Cincinnati another year or two before another team comes calling for him to be a head coach.
This team looks different than it did last year, with Joe Mixon and Tyler Boyd both on new teams. Although those are significant losses, Pitcher is a coach who works to build up the players he has to work with. The expectation is with Pitcher in charge, the personnel groupings are going to look a whole lot different. An “11” personnel, which features one running back and one tight end, has been the majority of what Burrow has run during his first four years in the league. In each of those seasons, the Bengals have run 11 personnel for at least 72 percent of the offensive snaps.
Pitcher has made it clear this offseason that he wants the tight end to be a more prominent part of the offense, and he believes the team has the horses to accomplish that.
“Our tight-end room is a room that I’m very excited about,” Pitcher said. “And I think they had an excellent spring. Tanner (Hudson), Mike (Gesicki), and Drew (Sample) obviously are the three experienced guys in the room. All of whom feel very comfortable in their own skin, know who they are, know how to play the game. They wouldn’t stick around in the league for six, seven years a piece if that wasn’t the case.”
Replacing Boyd’s production at wide receiver is also going to be key for this team, but one way to do it could be increasing the role of the tight ends, according to Pitcher. Boyd lined up as a slot receiver, and Pitcher highlighted how Gesicki has proven to be especially comfortable playing that role. Gesicki has lined up in the slot on 53.1 percent of his snaps since joining the NFL in 2018.
Gesicki found a way to catch 29 passes last year on a terrible New England Patriots team. He has to be chomping at the bit to get a chance to play for Pitcher in this offense.
Another key area in which the Bengals can be successful is the running game. Mixon is gone, but the team is confident they can still find plenty of success with Chase Brown and Zack Moss in the backfield. Pitcher believes that variability in the run scheme can take the running game to the next level, even with a committee.
“What is true is that we do have plenty of variability within our run scheme. (Run game coordinator) Frank (Pollack) does an excellent job this time of year honing in on what are the core principles that we want to adhere to schematically. And then how do we complement those things and then once we get into the season, what are the specific things that we need to do to beat our opponent. Within that view, our run game can take shape in a number of different areas. We certainly have two or three things that we know we have to be good at, and we will be good at and then we’ll play off of it.”
The offense still starts with Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, but what Pitcher can do with the rest of the squad is what will make the difference this season. With guys like Mixon and Boyd gone, it’s going to be more about a balanced attack, and that’s where Pitcher thrives. He has already taken Burrow’s game to the next level, and fans can expect the same with the rest of the Bengals’ offense in 2024.
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