Bengals Assistant Coach Named as Breakout Candidate to Watch Entering 2026 Season

There are plenty of rising young coaches in the NFL, and Cincinnati has one at the forefront of its offensive planning. The Athletic's Jourdan Rodrigue named a breakout candidate from all of the assistant coaching ranks in the NFL, and Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher got the nod for Cincinnati.

Pitcher has arguably already broken out as a hot name in coaching circles across recent cycles. He was a major candidate to take a play-calling offensive coordinator role this offseason.

"Pitcher has drawn interest from other teams for both head coach and offensive coordinator positions," Rodrigue wrote. "With Cincinnati clearly swinging for the fences after an active offseason in hopes of maximizing quarterback Joe Burrow’s prime, Pitcher could receive an even larger spotlight. Senior writer Paul Dehner Jr. also mentioned tight ends coach and run game coordinator James Casey, who he says is 'beloved' in the building and has a big role in setting up the run-pass marriage for the rest of the offense."

A veteran coach, Pitcher is entering his 11th season on the Bengals' coaching staff, and his third as offensive coordinator. He previously coached QBs from 2020-23 and took over the position when Brian Callahan became head coach of the Tennessee Titans.

Pitcher is hard at work getting the offensive plan ready for the start of training camp next week. He and Bengals head coach Zac Taylor have built a great working relationship together as continuity reigns supreme for Cincinnati's offense this fall.

"(Pitcher)'s been an integral part of our process every single day he's been here," Taylor said about Pitcher at the 2026 NFL Combine. "And he and I are lockstep in terms of how the plan comes together, how we're calling it during the game -- all of our discussions during the game. So I think a lot of it's overstated when they talk about a first-time play-caller ... I think that's really overblown. Go find the best person and leader that can put it all together and the players respond to. Those guys usually make pretty good OCs."

"I'm happy to have him back. I was hopeful he wasn't gonna go anywhere. But I've got a staff that's worked for me for a long time. So I want them to have great opportunities. I want them to always be searching for more. And I think that's how you know you've got a great staff. They're not content. They want to continue to do more, and they want more on their plate and bigger opportunities. I'm certainly open to that with Dan."

Check out the full breakout candidate list here.

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