NFL Rumors: Bengals Hiring Dan Pitcher as OC to Replace Titans' Brian Callahan

The Cincinnati Bengals are promoting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher to offensive coordinator, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The position became vacant when Brian Callahan left the Bengals to become the head coach of the Tennessee Titans this offseason.

Pitcher, 37, has been with the Bengals since 2016, starting as an offensive assistant before taking on the role of assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 and eventually the quarterbacks coach from 2020-23.

Joe Burrow has thrived alongside Pitcher, leading the team to playoff berths in two of his four seasons and the Super Bowl in the 2021 campaign. But Burrow is a superstar, and he'd thrive in most situations.

Where Pitcher really made his mark was this season with backup Jake Browning, who was called into action for seven starts and nine total appearances after Burrow was lost for the season with a torn ligament in his right wrist in mid-November.

The 27-year-old journeyman backup—who had never played an NFL game before this season and spent the majority of his career on practice squads—was a revelation, throwing for 1,936 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions while completing 70.4 percent of his passes. He also rushed for 127 yards and another three touchdowns.

Ultimately, the Bengals missed out on the playoffs. But they clearly identified a reliable backup for Burrow going forward (assuming another team doesn't snatch him up to be a bridge starter in free agency), and Pitcher deserved his fair share of credit for helping to develop Browning.

Now, the reins of the offense will be his for a Cincinnati team looking to bounce back from a disappointing 9-8 campaign that largely revolved around Burrow's injuries (he also started the year recovering from a calf injury suffered in training camp and didn't look to be 100 percent early in the season).