Kyle Pitts Emerging as a Bright Spot in Falcons’ Struggling Offense

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga – The Atlanta Falcons struggled on offense on Sunday during a 24-point loss to the Miami Dolphins, but one hidden gem was the resurgent performance of Kyle Pitts.

“Just execution and doing the right things,” head coach Raheem Morris said about Pitts and his performance Sunday. “Coming up with some big moments, some big catches, blocking really well. He's playing well. He's playing at an extremely high level. I'm proud of him.”

Pitts celebrated Tight Ends Day by leading the Falcons in receiving, catching all nine of his targets for 59 yards. Sunday was a continuation of his strong performance against San Francisco, where he caught a team-leading seven of his 10 targets for 62 yards.

Pitts has rather quietly found a role for himself in this offense. 38 of his 49 targets have come from under 10 air yards, leading to the highest catch rate (83%) and averaging separation of his career. When he does run intermediate routes (10-19 air yards), he has caught six of his eight targets for 113 yards.

Altogether, he has done a very good job of finding space within the defense and turning upfield for yards after the catch, which is second on the Falcons behind only Bijan Robinson.

“Just keep being an answer to this offense,” Pitts told Falcons On SI about his role and how it has continued to expand this season. “Just trying to do what they ask me to do and try to be a competitor.”

Those contributions have come at a pivotal time for a struggling offense and a beat-up receiver room. Ray-Ray McCloud was released from the team last week, Darnell Mooney has missed lots of action dating back to the summer due to injury, and Drake London missed Sunday’s game with a hip injury.

With defenses keying in on Bijan Robinson coming out of the backfield on every snap, the door has opened for Pitts to take on a larger role. To this point, he has.

Pitts leads the team with 39 receptions, while he is third in yards (344) and touchdowns (one). The numbers may not appear to be that gaudy for Pitts, but they have him on track for having his best statistical season since his rookie year in 2021.

Among tight ends across the NFL, Pitts is up to eighth in receiving yards and third in receptions.

On top of that, the biggest knock on Pitts was his pedestrian blocking ability, but even that has seen an uptick this season. According to PFF, his ‘run blocking grade’ is the highest of his career in the NFL.

Altogether, the fifth-year tight end has shown to be a consistent presence within this offense as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.