When it comes to offenses in the NFL, few have a player who is as big a mismatch as Kyle Pitts, the third-year Atlanta Falcons tight end who practically set the athletic standards for the position coming out of Florida in 2021.
Standing 6-foot-5, 246 pounds with wide receiver-caliber 4.44 speed and an 83.375-inch wingspan that ranks in the 98th percentile according to Mockdraftable, Pitts is such a unique offensive weapon that he was drafted fourth-overall in a loaded 2021 draft class, coming off the board before future stars like Ja'Marr Chase, Jaylen Waddle, DeVonta Smith, and Micah Parsons.
And yet, despite being the sort of performer who could theoretically make every catch an uncontested catch if he jumped in the air and extended his arm a la an NBA power forward, Pitts has never truly broken out at the NFL level, catching just 149 balls for 2,049 yards and six touchdowns over his professional career, with just one 1,000 yards season coming as a rookie.
Now granted, Pitts did only play 10 games in 2022 and had some injury issues last season that limited his production, but when you consider the former Gator was supposed to be an all-time great player after proving himself an all-time great prospect coming out of college, it's hard to consider his NFL career thus far anything but disappointing.
Needless to say, if the Falcons offense is really going to shine in 2024, they'll need Pitts to show up and show out in a major way too, as getting elite production at not just TE1 but WR2 from the fourth-year pro could unlock the offense in a major way and allow Kirk Cousins to dominate the short and intermediate parts of the field in a way he's only been afforded last season in Minnesota with T.J. Hockenson, and in 2015 in Washington with Jordan Reed.
Fortunately, the Falcons' coaching staff appears to know this fact, too, as both head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson have made it a point to highlight just how important Pitts can be for Atlanta's future as they attempt to build a long-term contender in the NFC South.
Kyle Pitts could finally get a hybrid role for the Falcons in 2024
While fantasy football fans have been banging on the table for Pitts to get more involved in the Falcons' offense since he was drafted in the first round out of Florida, with Arthur Smith seemingly unwilling to exploit his mismatch potential in creative ways, new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson already knows the value of number eight as a moveable chess piece, as he told reporters he plans to cross-train the tight end at receiver, too.
“[Pitts is] learning basically two different positions. There's some tight end, and there's some receive,” Zac Robinson told reporters via Yardbarker. “So, he's got a lot on his plate. He's handled it really well. I'm just excited to see him continue to get more comfortable in the system. We’ll move him around the formation. We’ll use him as blocker. We’ll use him as a receiver.”
Morris, too, weighed in on the importance of getting Pitts involved in the offense this fall, noting that he's a dynamic offensive weapon who can do a ton; he just needs to be placed in the proper position to succeed.
“If we can get this guy going, we all know what he could be. That’s the job of the coach, to find out what a player can be and go get the best out of him. Hopefully, myself, along with my staff, and all of our coaches, we can go and get the best version of Kyle Pitts because that will be really good for all of us,” Raheem Morris told reporters via NBA Sports.
“He’s very excited about being healthy, and so are we. Getting a healthy Kyle Pitts gives you a really dynamic player that we believe in a lot. Hence, the picking up of his option [and] letting him be apart of our immediate and hopefully our long-term future.”
After logging just 200 snaps at outside receiver for the Falcons in 2023 versus 728 on offense overall, it's safe to say the Falcons could get more creative with how they deploy the supersized playmaker heading into the fall when he will be incentivized to really ball out in a contract year. If that happens and Pitts becomes a Darren Waller-level offensive weapon, it's safe to say Atlanta will be happy to pay him what he's worth, as they will truly have one of the best offensive players in the NFL.
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