After a record breaking rookie season, 2021 fourth overall pick Kyle Pitts looked like he was on the way to quickly becoming one of the best tight ends in football. He caught for over 1,000 yards with Matt Ryan under center, but 2022 was a massive step in the wrong direction, as Pitts only recorded 28 catches for 356 yards.
The switch from Ryan to Marcus Mariota played a significant role in the statistical slide. The Falcons went from a more pass-happy offense to a smash mouth style of play, and even when they did choose to throw, Mariota was often off-target. However, injuries also played a role. Pitts only played in ten games and his season ended prematurely, which required offseason surgery.
Pitts returned to play all 17 games in 2023, but not once did he look himself. A source inside the building told me before the season that he seemed to be dealing with the lingering effects of the injury. This only became more obvious as the weeks went by, as Pitts could be seen limping to the sidelines after plays in which he was not even contacted.
The results were another middling statistical season for the highest drafted tight end in league history. Kyle Pitts put up a respectable 667 yards on 53 catches. He also added a career-high three touchdowns, but those aren’t the kind of numbers the Falcons were expecting when they drafted him fourth overall, especially after he took the league by storm as a rookie.
Again, the quarterback play cannot be overlooked. Much like Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke are not starting caliber NFL signal callers. Pitts’ health also clearly wasn’t right, which he addressed in his latest Instagram post following the season.
Kyle Pitts latest Instagram post discusses having MCL/PCL surgery last year.
Quite an impressive feat to play all 17 games after that. pic.twitter.com/yMGV9K9uRY
— Miles Garrett (@MilesGarrettTV) January 10, 2024
With better quarterback play and a full and healthy offseason, the hope is that Kyle Pitts can turn his career around and still be what everyone thought he was going to be coming out of college. However, after three years, it’s difficult to call the first draft pick of the Terry Fontenot era anything other than a bust.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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