Falcons TE Kyle Pitts: Comeback Player of the Year?
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is due for a bounce back season in 2023.
After nearly setting a league record for receiving yards by a rookie tight end in 2021, the former No. 4 overall pick struggled in 2022, managing just 28 receptions for 356 yards in 10 games before suffering a knee injury that cost him the rest of the year.
Pitts' struggles both with quarterback Marcus Mariota and his knee are behind him, setting himself up for a major comeback. In fact, Bleacher Report identified Pitts as one of eight early candidates to win the league's Comeback Player of the Year Award.
"Without any setbacks, Pitts could begin to build a connection with Ridder from training camp through the preseason," Bleacher Report writes.
"Though Ridder only started in four games last season, he flashed his accuracy, completing 63.5 percent of his passes. The second-year quarterback will have a big target in Pitts, who's a tough coverage assignment at 6'6", 246 pounds. The pair should click right away."
Pitts has still yet to play with quarterback Desmond Ridder, who took the reins from Mariota as the starter after the former Florida Gator was lost for the season.
If Ridder can help Pitts return to form and he plays more like the 2021 version of himself, it's very possible that he could win the award and the Falcons could return to the postseason for the first time in six years.
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