The Atlanta Falcons surprised many people in the 2023 season by finishing with a 7-10 record and getting close to earning a playoff spot. Now, they are getting close to hiring legendary head coach Bill Belichick as Arthur Smith's replacement.

With the offseason here and a lot of changes on the way for Atlanta, tight end Kyle Pitts spoke about the difficulties the year brought. However, the talented tight end expressed gratitude for being able to play the entire year after dealing with an injury in the 2022 season (h/t Michael Rothstein of ESPN).

“A return to play. A return to, my goal was to finish the year out and healthily get to the end. To get to the 18-game mark, a full year after the injury, that was something I was looking forward to. But the season, that was something that obviously had its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows and it just comes with it. But for the most part it's a lot more ups than downs.”

After a rough 2022 season, a healthy Pitts is exactly what the Falcons were hoping for.

A healthy Kyle Pitts made a big difference, but there were ups and downs

Kyle Pitts, Falcons, Kyle Pitts trade, Falcons trade, Arthur Smith

Pitts played just 10 games in 2022 due to an injury but was able to play all 17 games in 2023 as he remained healthy. As a result, he caught 53 passes for 667 yards with three touchdowns, almost double from the year before all across the board.

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However, the usage of Pitts was puzzling, and the usage of other talented players such as Drake London and Bijan Robinson was another question mark and a big reason why Arthur Smith had the fans impatient. In turn, that caused a lot of ups and downs, as Pitts mentioned.

Kyle Pitts is also facing contract questions, as the Falcons need to choose whether or not to pick up his fifth-year option by May. However, Pitts doesn't seem too concerned about that for now: “I control what I can control. I just go out here and play. Learn, practice and give the best effort I can. And that's it.”

Nonetheless, the 2021 fourth overall draft choice was healthy this past season, and that's a huge step in the right direction. With the Falcons being linked to Belichick as head coach and even potentially trading for Justin Fields or another quarterback this offseason, the future looks bright in Atlanta.