Three Teams That Could Steal Dan Pitcher From the Bengals

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers officially hired Zac Robinson to be their offensive coordinator on Thursday after interviewing both Dan Pitcher and Brian Callahan for the role.

As more information became available, it turned out that Pitcher was never a finalist for the job. Instead, the Buccaneers were down to Callahan and Robinson, before ultimately choosing the latter.

While this is absolutely a win for the Bengals at the moment, as Pitcher is a key piece of their coaching staff, it does open up more questions. Will Zac Taylor give Pitcher to interview elsewhere?

Pitcher clearly wants to call offensive plays and is open to a change. If Taylor continues to call plays (that's the current plan), then other teams could ask to interview Pitcher.

Here are three teams that may try to interview Pitcher in the coming days:

The Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins officially announced the hiring of new head coach and former Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley. He made it clear that he will be calling plays for the defense.

This instantly leads to one wondering who Hafley could try to get to run the offense, and it makes perfect sense for Hafley to look in Pitcher's direction, given all of the success the Bengals offense has had in recent seasons.

While Hafley will indeed bring in coaches like Kliff Kingsbury, Joe Brady, and perhaps even someone like Sean Mannion who was hired by Green Bay as an offensive coach in the same offseason as Hafley, he could believe Pitcher is capable of reshaping a Miami offense that has underperformed for two straight seasons.

Would Taylor allow Pitcher to interview with an AFC team? That's the biggest question.

The Philadelphia Eagles

This is arguably the most logical scenario. Pitcher would probably love to land in Philadelphia. The Eagles have a ton of talent on offense.

The Eagles fired offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo after the offense dropped from eighth in the league in 2024 with Kellen Moore all the way to 24th overall under Patullo.

Eagles fans understandably want to see the offense flourish back to where it was when they won the Super Bowl, and the job of coaching Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, and DeVonta Smith, along with an above-average offensive line, would charm any OC candidate, especially someone like Pitcher who has already been a part of an elite offense in Cincinnati.

Something that looks like a roadblock, too, could actually be a good sign for Pitcher, possibly interviewing with the Eagles, as there are rumblings that Jeff Stoutland's current role in the offense has staved off top names such as Brian Daboll and Mike McDaniel. While this could be a sign for Pitcher to steer clear of the job in Philly, it could just as easily open a path for him to garner interest from a top organization with a clear path to becoming a head coach. If he thrives in Philadelphia as their offensive coordinator, he'll likely get a chance to become a head coach.

INSIDE STORY ON WHY EAGLES CAN’T FIND AN OC!

“The Philadelphia Eagles, who arguably have the best roster in football… McDaniel says no thank you… & Brian Daboll’s like, ‘I think I’d rather go to Tennessee’… that dude Jeff Stoutland is not giving up his job as run game… pic.twitter.com/2lwkWakTtK
— The Craig Carton Show (@CraigCartonShow) January 22, 2026

The Arizona Cardinals

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) on the field during warm ups prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

The Cardinals have yet to hire their next head coach. Once the dust settles on that decision, it could be an interesting destination for Pitcher.

Kyler Murray is clearly gonna be out of Arizona after another lackluster season, and this immediately could be an opportunity for Pitcher to build his own offense around key players in Arizona, including Trey McBride, Michael Wilson, and Marvin Harrison Jr.

Any of these openings could be an option for Pitcher or former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan. If Pitcher does leave, Callahan would be at the top of the Bengals' list of targets.

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