Falcons Injury Update: Rookie Kyle Pitts Out
Atlanta Falcons rookie tight end Kyle Pitts was held out of practice on Wednesday because of a lingering hamstring injury he suffered against the Buffalo Bills last Sunday.
Pitts broke Julio Jones' franchise record for receiving yards for rookie before pulling up lame in the second quarter against the Bills.
Pitts tried to give it a go in the third quarter before exiting for good early in the period.
His mobility appeared to be extremely limited before leaving, and head coach Arthur Smith didn't sound optimistic about Pitts' availability for Sunday's game against the New Orleans Saints when he met with the media on Monday.
Smith reiterated on Wednesday that they weren't ready to make a decision on Pitts as he strives to break Mike Ditka's 60-year old tight end receiving record. Ditka had 1,076 yards for the Chicago Bears in a 14-game 1961 season.
Fellow tight end Hayden Hurst is back from the reserve/COVID-19 list, but the Falcons still signed Parker Hesse to the active roster. That move is another sign Pitts might not be ready to go against the Saints.
Pitts currently stands at 1,018 yards after 16 games with just one to go.
Smith said on Monday that the record would play no part in his decision making for Pitts' availability, and he didn't expect it to influence Pitts either.
"Those things are nice," said Smith. "I’m not disregarding those things, those stats, but the only stat that matters is can we go out there and beat the Saints."
"That's kind of that's why we like Kyle. He wants to help the team win. That's your goal as a football player and a football coach."
The Falcons are 4.5-point underdogs to the Saints on Sunday. Atlanta won the first game between the NFC South rivals in November 27-25, and Pitts had three catches for 62 yards.
If he were to match those numbers on Sunday, his name would go to the top of the record books.
However, Pitts availability is in serious doubt for Sunday's contest.
