{"id":707143,"date":"2026-01-26T20:13:26","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:13:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/707143\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T20:13:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T20:13:26","slug":"bengals-keep-staff-intact-with-oc-pitcher-staying-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/707143\/","title":{"rendered":"Bengals keep staff intact with OC Pitcher staying"},"content":{"rendered":"

CINCINNATI — The infrastructure around Joe Burrow<\/a> remains intact.<\/p>\n

At least for now.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher is projected to stay on the team\u2019s staff following one of the recent developments in the coaching cycle. Pitcher was in the running to become the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a> next offensive coordinator, a job that went to former Atlanta Falcons<\/a> offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.<\/p>\n

And the ho-hum offseason the Bengals wanted is coming to fruition, meaning Cincinnati will not have to expend energy on making offensive improvements before next season. For a team coming off a 6-11 campaign, it might not make sense to keep the offensive apparatus intact.<\/p>\n

But Cincinnati\u2019s best chance of winning big in 2026 will be with Burrow operating at the highest level. And he has been the biggest advocate of the coaches surrounding him.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m very confident in our coaching staff,\u201d Burrow said after the team\u2019s regular-season finale. \u201cI know those guys work really hard to put us in good positions, and I always feel well-prepared and put in the best spot to succeed. From that standpoint, I think we\u2019re in a good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the surface, a coach from a team that just went 6-11 and has underperformed in three straight seasons typically isn\u2019t a candidate for better jobs. But Pitcher has proved that isn\u2019t the case. And a few numbers from Cincinnati\u2019s 2025 season might indicate why.<\/p>\n

Burrow had some outstanding performances when he returned from a turf toe injury that sidelined him for nine games. When Burrow started last season, the Bengals averaged 2.58 points per drive, according to ESPN Research. To put that in perspective, the Cowboys were fifth in the NFL for the entire season at 2.56.<\/p>\n

Cincinnati also was able to navigate Burrow\u2019s injury well enough. When Joe Flacco<\/a> started in the middle of the season following his arrival via trade, he was more than serviceable. Flacco matched Burrow\u2019s expected points added per drop back (0.11).<\/p>\n

And those numbers, matched with Burrow\u2019s comments, are strong evidence of the mission of what Pitcher and the coaching staff try to accomplish each week.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe players are out there playing,\u201d Pitcher said following the team\u2019s 45-21 win over the Miami Dolphins<\/a>. \u201cYou try to put them in the best position to have success and whether we do or not is very much dependent on their execution.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether the Bengals will be a playoff team again will hinge on the team\u2019s offensive success. Excluding players acquired via trade, no team has invested more into its passing attack than the Bengals. According to data available via OverTheCap, the Bengals have contracts valued at $616 million for wide receivers, tight ends and quarterbacks. The next closest team is the Kansas City Chiefs<\/a> at $553 million.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s still room for the Bengals to get a greater return on their investment. Opponents have made it a point to stop Cincinnati\u2019s top two receivers, All-Pro Ja\u2019Marr Chase and standout Tee Higgins<\/a>. While both were among the most productive targets in the NFL last season, the big plays haven\u2019t always materialized.<\/p>\n

Last year, Chase tied for 31st in receptions of 15 or more air yards. He had three touchdowns on throws of that depth. None of them came from Burrow. In 2024, Chase tied for 12th in that category with 19 receptions, including eight touchdowns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThem being able to connect and be on the same page is critical to our success,\u201d Pitcher said on Dec. 15. \u201cI think there\u2019s been times where they have, and obviously there\u2019s plays that they want back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finding ways to make that happen will fall on Taylor, Pitcher and the rest of the team\u2019s coaching staff as Cincinnati charts a critical offseason.<\/p>\n

The continuity among the coaching staff and on the roster should give Cincinnati more time to focus on improving the on-field product ahead of what will be the most scrutinized and crucial season in recent franchise history.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CINCINNATI — The infrastructure around Joe Burrow remains intact. At least for now. Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Dan…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":618383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2053],"tags":[228,227,256,91420,2296,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-707143","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cincinnati-bengals","8":"tag-bengals","9":"tag-cincinnati","10":"tag-cincinnati-bengals","11":"tag-cincinnati-bengals-sports-football-team-team-statscom-327","12":"tag-cincinnatibengals","13":"tag-football","14":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/115963232633472766","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=707143"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707143\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/618383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}