A “Pitcher” might not be the only sporting field in the New England region to receive the ball in 2024 besides Fenway Park. For their open offensive coordinator post, the New England Patriots have apparently already booked video conferences with Dan Pitcher, the coach of the Cincinnati Bengals quarterbacks, and Nick Caley of the Los Angeles Rams.
In order to replace outgoing coordinator Bill O’Brien, who was just appointed to the same role at Ohio State University, New England is aggressively seeking a replacement.
QBs coach Dan Pitcher, an internal replacement for Callahan as OC for the Bengals, has a full schedule of OC interviews this week, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. “According to sources, he will be in Las Vegas for the Raiders at night after having a Zoom with the Patriots tomorrow. On Thursday, he plays the Saints.”
Pitcher has been a Bengals assistant since 2016, and in the last few months, he has become a highly sought-after coaching candidate. Following the Bengals’ 2020 first-round selection of Joe Burrow, the 37-year-old began working primarily with Cincinnati’s wide receivers before being officially designated quarterbacks coach.
Pitcher received a large contract deal to stay with the team over the previous offseason due to his excellent work with Burrow. Jake Browning, the Bengals’ backup quarterback who started seven games following Burrow’s season-ending injury, was also greatly aided by Pitcher.
There are other teams interested in Pitcher’s services besides New England. The SUNY Cortland product is expected to be strongly persuaded to stay with Cincinnati, especially in light of the fact that offensive coordinator Brian Callahan was named the Tennessee Titans head coach on Monday night. He also has interviews scheduled with the New Orleans Saints and Las Vegas Raiders later this week.
Regardless of where he ends up, the lucky suitor will inherit a coach who has developed a strong skill set in game planning, third-down strategy, and managing an offensive scheme based on the integration of outside zone with a flexible quarterback.