The potential for Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts in 2024 is limitless

As he adapts to a new scheme this offseason under offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, Kyle Pitts is working tirelessly to become a key player for the Falcons’ offense. ESPN’s Marc Raimondi reports that Robinson has Pitts “learning basically two different positions, because there’s some tight end [work] and there’s some receiver.” With this extensive workload, Robinson is “excited to see [Pitts] continue to get more comfortable in the system.”

In his record-breaking rookie year, Pitts caught 68 of his 107 targets for 1,026 yards, lining up out wide 34.2% of the time—the highest percentage among tight ends in 2021, according to PFF. Pitts’ ability to create mismatches and excel from various positions on the field was his main draw when he entered the league. Having a versatile, big-bodied target like Pitts is a quarterback’s dream, as it opens up the offense in unique ways.

Earlier this offseason, Pitts mentioned that his role as a tight end is to be quarterback Kirk Cousins’ “safety blanket.” Great quarterbacks often rely on such dependable targets:

– Tom Brady had Rob Gronkowski
– Patrick Mahomes has Travis Kelce
– Peyton Manning had Dallas Clark
– John Elway had Shannon Sharpe
– Matt Ryan had Tony Gonzalez

Pitts aims to be the next on this list for Cousins and eventually rookie Michael Penix Jr. Raimondi’s article highlighted Pitts’ “personal vendetta” to return to his rookie year form, according to head coach Raheem Morris.

Since his rookie year, Pitts’ yards per route run—a metric used by PFF to measure a player’s efficiency—has declined:

– 2021: 2.02 (4th among tight ends)
– 2022: 1.69 (7th)
– 2023: 1.43 (16th)

During his time in Minnesota, Cousins hasn’t had a tight end like Pitts. The closest comparison is T.J. Hockenson from last season, who still spent about half his snaps as an in-line tight end in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Pitts is a target who can influence coverages and, at his best, stretch the field vertically both up the seams and outside the numbers. His versatility has everyone eager to see what he can achieve in an offense where he can line up virtually anywhere.

As Robinson said, “the sky’s the limit for what kind of season [Pitts] can have.”