Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts 'Playing Good Football,' Finding Rhythm with Desmond Ridder
Kyle Pitts caught three passes for 47 yards in the Atlanta Falcons' 16-13 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday, launching the Dirty Birds into first place in the NFC South.
Pitts' first reception was a one-handed, behind-the-back grab sure to be included in his year-end highlight reel. The last was a 39-yard grab catch-and-run on the final drive that pushed Atlanta into field goal range and set the stage for Younghoe Koo's game-winning kick.
In between the two plays, Pitts was held to just one catch for five yards while the Falcons' offense failed to capitalize on three redzone trips amidst fumbles from quarterback Desmond Ridder.
The encouraging start, disappointing middle portion and electrifying finish almost feels like a proper embodiment of Pitts' time in Atlanta, and it's only fitting the performance came on National Tight End's Day.
Since the Falcons made Pitts the highest drafted tight end in league history in 2021, expectations have been high - and the former Florida standout delivered as a rookie, posting the second-most receiving yards by a rookie at the position with 1,026.
But Pitts' second season didn't see the same production, as he caught only 28 passes for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Of Pitts' 59 targets from quarterback Marcus Mariota, 26 were deemed uncatchable. He hauled in all but five of the passes that were within reach.
In essence, much of what happened in 2022 was out of Pitts' control - including the torn MCL he suffered in Week 11 that brought an already trying campaign to a premature close.
The rehab process added more strain, as much mentally as physically. Falcons coach Arthur Smith shared earlier this season that Pitts was still trying to clear some final hurdles en route to getting back to full health.
As a result, Pitts started slow, catching just 11 passes for 121 yards in the season's first four games. His chemistry wasn't quite there with quarterback Desmond Ridder, who took over for Mariota four weeks after Pitts' injury last year.
But in the three games since, Pitts has grown closer to his former self. He has more targets (22), receptions (14) and yards (177) than he did in the first month and caught his first touchdown in Week 6.
In other words, Pitts is trending up - and it's no coincidence Atlanta's offense has flourished along with him, eclipsing the 400-yard mark in three consecutive games for the first time since the end of 2018.
“Playing good football," Smith said of Pitts. "He is. That’s the thing - when you’re able to spread the football around and you have a lot of guys that can make plays, if you squeeze the zone to one guy, it opens up other guys."
Smith used the example of the Falcons' first drive against the Buccaneers, when tight end Jonnu Smith caught three passes for 27 yards.
He didn't catch another pass the rest of the game, but Atlanta's offense kept moving forward, in large part because Tampa Bay was forced to account for more than just Pitts and receiver Drake London.
This is the vision Smith has for his offense and why he's consistently added playmakers to the unit each offseason, spending each of his first three top-10 draft picks on offensive weapons.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts celebrates after catching a touchdown in Week 6 against the Washington Commanders.
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
Dating back to last year, Smith has stressed Pitts' impact on winning, even when the stats don't necessarily reflect it. The attention the 23-year-old drew against Tampa Bay is a prime example - as is the effective game-winning explosive he and Ridder hit on the last drive.
"Kyle made arguably the biggest play in the passing game in situational football," Smith said. "There are other plays that he’s the primary. Credit to Tampa, they took him away, and the ball went elsewhere, and we made plays. That’s what you want when you have an efficient offense.”
Pitts' injury not only cost him the final six games of last year, but also a chance to build an early rapport with Ridder. The two didn't get to throw together until this summer, when Pitts was cleared to start running again.
Sure, Pitts said, they worked alongside one another in the 2022 offseason - but much had changed, and there remained plenty of things to learn.
Through the first four games, Ridder and Pitts were evidently still working through some of those growing pains, just slightly posting more completions (11) than incompletions (10).
Their relationship has since evolved. Communication is improved, with both sides understanding what's been seen and what one needs from the other.
Ridder's biggest takeaway? The 6-6, 248-pound Pitts is a big target with proven ball skills. In other words: trust him.
"Just giving him a chance," Ridder said. "You put it anywhere in the vicinity, he's going to go up and get it. Just the trust and confidence that we have within each other, we're out here talking in between each rep, in between plays, just trying to figure out the best way to reps, the best way to get the route ran.
"He's doing a better job of understanding."
Ridder provided two examples of his experience working alongside Pitts.
The first centered around the aforementioned behind-the-back catch, which Ridder dubbed "amazing" and noted he didn't want to lead Pitts into a big hit.
"I put it behind, not meaning to put it a couple of feet behind but he just goes and makes a catch," Ridder said.
The second instance came the very next play, when Ridder went back to Pitts on 3rd and 4. His pass fell incomplete, with Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David nearly making a diving interception.
Ridder believed Pitts could've run a better route, and he told him exactly that on the sideline.
"It was an option route, and he was a little slow into it," Ridder said. "We just came back and said 'hey, you just got to come off with speed off the ball.'"
Their relationship has grown to a point where they can bounce ideas off one another and are frequently passing along pieces of information, be it Ridder's example of helping Pitts with route technique or the latter telling the former how the secondary played a certain concept.
"There's different things within a route where he comes off the sideline, 'hey, they're dropping this corner route one time when I was working the opposite,'" Ridder said. "So, just does a great job of letting me know what he sees, what he feels, and I kind of do the same thing."
Though not even at the halfway point, it's already been a tale of two seasons for Pitts, who's looked more confident with his knee while returning to his spot as a featured option in Atlanta's offense.
Pitts has long been used as more than just a tight end, with Smith moving him all around the formation trying to find the best matchup.
Nicknamed "Unicorn" for his blend of physical tools, Pitts remains supremely talented - and his versatility, be it in alignment or usage, is as valuable as ever in Smith's offense.
"I feel like I'm playing with a really athletic football player," Ridder said. "He can do everything. However you want to define your term as tight end, I'd say he's a really versatile football player."
Now, Pitts is using his athleticism and versatility to play at the high level he proved capable of in 2021 ... and as his knee continues to get stronger, it's possible both he and Atlanta's aerial attack will soar to new heights, moving past the angst of 2022 and setting the tone for a beaming future.
