Kyle Pitts' stat line through two weeks has been nothing special; he has 11 catches for 96 yards and no touchdowns.
However, that is a product of the lack of a passing game. Make no mistake about it, Pitts has looked like the special talent we saw when he was a rookie—and is finally living up to the billing he received coming out of Florida.
His comfort level, confidence, speed, and quickness are finally showing up, and it should lead to a massive season for the soon-to-be free agent.
Kyle Pitts has been nothing short of special through two weeks
The 24-year-old was excellent as a rookie, nearly breaking Mike Ditka's tight end rookie receiving record. However, since then, the former top-five pick has been just average. He sustained a season-ending knee injury in his second season, which clearly affected him for longer than anyone imagined.
Even going back to last year, he lacked the quickness to run routes, which resulted in zero separation from his defender. It was easy to give up on him because if he didn't get his quickness back two years removed from his injury. Why would we think it would come back after three years?
Watching him run routes through the first two games has been special. Many have likely seen the video already, but his route on the goalline in Week 1 was special. Michael Penix Jr. could've tossed him the ball, but was likely worried about his arm getting chopped, so he instead ran for the game-tying touchdown.
That quickness is something we haven't seen in a long time. From 2022 to 2024, he wouldn't have gotten any separation, and even if he did, Kirk Cousins and Desmond Ridder failed to look in his direction.
MP9 LAYS OUT FOR SIX
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Not only has he shown his quickness, but he is finally showing the ability to set his defenders up. On that play, he doesn't telegraph his intentions with his eyes or body movement. Instead, he keeps squared, sizes Lavonte David up, sees he has gained leverage, and hits him with a spin cycle to get wide open.
Analysts and fans fell victim to recency bias with Pitts; they claimed he has never been a good route runner, which is simply not true. In Gainesville, he showed he can beat his defenders in a phone booth, and showed it some with Matt Ryan throwing him the ball.
If the Falcons can get the passing game going, Pitts will have a massive season, setting himself up for a massive payday this upcoming offseason—whether it be in Atlanta or elsewhere.