In 2024, the Bengals will select one of two qualified candidates to be the quarterback coach.
Although there hasn’t always been a direct correlation between the success of the field and loyalty, the Cincinnati Bengals are regarded as one of the league’s most devoted teams. Ultimately, few coaches could be satisfied with a coach like Marvin Lewis going nearly two decades without a postseason victory. This characteristic has also given the team the propensity to appoint players from within when a coach leaves, and that is probably how the team will fill the quarterback coach post this offseason.
Bengals will make their announcement this week regarding the position of quarterbacks coach.
Cincinnati had to appoint a replacement for offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, who left to take a head coaching position with the Tennessee Titans, only a few weeks ago. Everyone knew that Callahan, who oversaw one of the NFL’s top offenses as offensive coordinator, would eventually leave the team to pursue his own career, and that knowledge is not held against him. Cincinnati, being a devoted team, filled his post internally and elevated Dan Pitcher, their quarterback coach of seven years, to the position of unit leader.
The actual query at hand is who Cincinnati will appoint to take over Pitcher’s former role as quarterbacks coach. The best course of action is to promote another coach from within, especially in light of Pitcher’s promotion trend. Brad Kragthorpe, the assistant quarterbacks coach, would most likely be that coach.
Before going into coaching, Kragthorpe was a quarterback at the beloved Joe Burrow’s alma mater, LSU, from 2013 to 2015. He then worked as an offensive assistant with Utah State from 2016 to 2017 and returned to his alma mater in 2018. After being hired by head coach Zac Taylor in 2019, Kragthorpe served in a variety of assistant positional coach roles, including wide receiver and quarterbacks. The fact that he already had some familiarity with Burrow and the Cincinnati offense makes him a strong candidate for the position.
From 2013 to 2015, Kragthorpe played quarterback for LSU, the alma mater of the beloved Joe Burrow, before going into coaching. Following that, he worked for Utah State from 2016 to 2017 as an offensive assistant before returning to his former school in 2018. After that, in 2019, head coach Zac Taylor brought him on board for the Cincinnati staff. He has worked as a wide receiver and quarterbacks assistant positional coach, among other positions. Because he already has some familiarity with Burrow and the Cincinnati offense, he will be favored for the position.
Van Dam joined the Buccaneers in 2019 and worked as a quality control coach until 2022, when he was elevated to the position of tight ends coach. Van Dam is well-liked by his peers, and Tampa Bay has used a number of successful tight ends.
Van Dam may have only been brought in to help the team weigh Kragthorpe’s advantages against Van Dam’s while they also finished doing their own research on the role. The winner of the job will take over as a franchise quarterback’s new mentor and could soon advance to the position of offensive coordinator.
