When the 2023 season starts, the Cicninnati Bengals will be the only NFL team that has the same head coach, offensive coordinator, and defensive coordinator for the fifth straight season.
That kind of continuity is almost unheard of in the NFL.
(The Kansas City Chiefs would’ve been in the same boat, but offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy left this week to become the Washington Commanders’ new offensive coordinator.)
It’s not just offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo that are running it back in 2023.
The Bengals are getting quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher back, too.
Pitcher is the only quarterbacks coach that Joe Burrow’s had in the NFL.
Pitcher flirted with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this offseason — the Bucs were in the market for an offensive coordinator after moving on from Byron Leftwich (they ended up hiring Seattle Seahawks quarterbacks coach Dave Canales).
But ultimately, Pitcher wasn’t ready to leave Cincinnati.
And it’s because he knows the Bengals can accomplish something special in 2023.
“We’ve got something special going on now,” said Pitcher to Bengals.com this week. “I’ve been a part of this from the ground up. I believe the Super Bowl is in our near future and I want to be a part of that.”
“The Tampa thing was an awesome opportunity,” added Pitcher. “The people I met down there, Coach (Todd) Bowles, Jason Licht, the general manager, and several others in the organization, I enjoyed getting to know those guys and I’m grateful for their interest they showed in me.”
“But I just didn’t feel like this was the time to leave Cincinnati…We’ve got this thing headed in the right direction big time and I just want to be a part of finishing it off.”
When a franchise has a coach turning down promotions, it’s a sign that the culture is strong and the team is on the verge of something really special.
The Bengals’ goal in 2023 will be to win a Super Bowl. And as long as Burrow is under center, that will be the goal moving forward.
It’s a fun time to be a Cincinnati fan. And honestly, the fun is really just getting started.
