So far, it's safe to say the Atlanta Falcons haven't gotten enough out of star tight end Kyle Pitts this season, especially considering he received a three-year, $54 million contract extension this offseason. He's the third-highest paid TE in the league, but he hasn't exactly produced as such.
Fantasy football managers have been disappointed with what they've seen as Pitts has just one catch for 15 yards on the season, but fear not, Falcons fans: the struggles won't continue for much longer. All of this went on while Cooper Rush was starting, but Michael Penix Jr. is making his return to the starting lineup against the Green Bay Packers tonight.
With Penix back, not only is it going to ignite Atlanta's offense, it means they're actually going to have a downfield passing game--which bodes well for Pitts' chances of getting more involved. But here's the thing: too many people are talking about the QB change having a positive effect on Drake London, but not KP.
The good news is that the opportunity for a turnaround is finally here and that his 8% target share (good for 35th among tight ends) is destined to go up now that the Falcons can actually run their offense the way it was anticipated.
Michael Penix Jr.'s Week 3 return is going to be a good thing for Kyle Pitts
The reason the 25-year-old has been struggling so much has been that aforementioned lack of opportunity, but the Falcons were also unable to truly open up the playbook with Rush starting. But OC Tommy Rees even admitted that Atlanta is looking to get Pitts more involved going forward.
“We gotta get it going." Rees said Tuesday. "That's my job. He's an integral part of what we wanna do, and we had a couple missed opportunities there in week one. Probably didn't have as many last game. But we know what he does well. We know where he can be a matchup. We know where we can really make sure that he's impacting games. But I gotta do a better job with that and make sure that his talents come into the forefront. We take a lot of ownership on that as a staff.”
So even the coaching staff knows they have to do more to get their Pro Bowl pass-catcher involved, because the uncharacteristically low usage he received when Cooper Rush was starting cannot continue--and Rees seems to be admitting things will change now that the game-plan is different.
Since Michael Penix Jr. and Kyle Pitts are golf buddies, we know they're developing a good rapport both on and off the field. But the big win here is that with Penix back in the lineup, the play-action game will be more prevalent, and Pitts is just as impactful as Drake London in attacking the middle of the field. He's versatile, quick, and is a matchup nightmare both inside the red zone and out.
Against the Vikings in Week 1, the Packers surrendered four receptions for 36 yards and a touchdown to Minnesota's T.J. Hockenson--and Pitts is a whole lot more talented than Hockenson and Penix is a lot better than Carson Wentz, who played the majority of the game at QB for the Vikes.
We saw the former top-five pick enjoy a career year a season ago, as his five touchdowns and 88 receptions both marked career-highs. And while you can talk about the late-season games with Kirk Cousins (specifically the Bucs game) as anomalies, this is precisely what he's always been capable of.
Tight ends are positioned to play a pivotal role in Kevin Stefanski's offense, and we've seen success stories with David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr, so Kyle Pitts should finally have his moment with better QB play--and that starts on Thursday Night Football against the Packers.
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