Atlanta Falcons should be patient with Kyle Pitts early in the season

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is coming off of a rough second season in the league with his production taking a step back and suffering a season-ending injury. Neither problem was in Kyle's control with Marcus Mariota badly hurting Pitts' production and a very questionable hit to the knee ending the season for the star tight end.

What has been lost in all the griping over Kyle Pitts' lack of production in fantasy football or the complaints from those not considering the situation is that Pitts is likely in for a slow start to the season yet again.

This isn't to say that Kyle won't end the season with big numbers that should be expected with his talent and Ridder's ability to throw college-level passes something the last quarterback clearly couldn't accomplish consistently.

Pitts should be eased into the rotation coming off of a serious knee injury and needing time to get back up to full speed. Expectations should be checked in the first weeks of the season considering the timing of the energy.

Though there shouldn't be any obvious season-long concerns based on the information provided and considering Kyle's game. Pitts is far faster than he is given credit for but is a player that needs very little separation to make the catch.

This was demonstrated in Kyle's rookie season with Matt Ryan with the defense often blanketing Atlanta's best receiver and Ryan throwing the ball up trusting Pitts to make a play. Despite being a rookie and the primary target Pitts thrived in this role racking up the second-most yardage in NFL history for a rookie tight end.

Kyle Pitts is special and this season will serve as a reminder of that, however, Pitts should be expected to come out of the gate slowly as he gets back into the flow of the offense after the serious injury and builds chemistry with Ridder.