New Falcons’ Coach Doesn’t Hold Back On TE Kyle Pitts

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has had difficulty matching the production from his rookie campaign back in 2021, but he still makes an impact in other ways.

New Falcons tight ends Kevin Koger raved about Pitts’ ability to assist the ground game, for example.

“We’re not oblivious to the fact of his skill sets, what he does bring to the team from a receiving standpoint, so there are a lot of things that you can do to be creative and use his skill set in the pass game,” Koger said, via Tori McElhaney, Terrin Waack and Amna Subhan of the Falcons’ official team website. “But with him and the way we’re going to run the ball and the athleticism he does have, there are a lot of things he can do in the run game to help us out to win football games. You’ll see him all over the field, not just out wide but also in the box.”

Pitts is coming off of a 2023 campaign in which he played every game and caught 53 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns.

The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Florida, was selected by Atlanta with the fourth overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft. It was the highest a tight end has ever been drafted.

He enjoyed an incredible rookie year, hauling in 68 receptions for 1,026 yards and a score en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

Pitts then took a major step back the following season, due much in part to injuries. He appeared in just 10 contests in 2022, logging 28 catches for 356 yards while reaching the end zone twice.

While his production this past season may have looked solid, it was still a disappointing year for Pitts given how well he played during his debut campaign.

The Falcons went 7-10 in 2023 and have not posted a winning season since 2017.