Atlanta Falcons: TE Kyle Pitts is clearly still recovering from significant knee injury

It has been sad to watch Kyle Pitts go from a sensational rookie to an afterthought as the tight end of the Atlanta Falcons. He had such a great year in 2021 but has since struggled to get any type of production.

Pitts started the 2022 season with a nagging injury and then he was eventually done for the year when he took a brutal hit to his knee which left him with a torn MCL. We all know that knee injuries can take some time to heal and that has been evident with Kyle Pitts.

Patience is required with Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts

Most of us don't know what it is like returning from a torn ligament in your knee in a professional sport. We often take for granted that a player will be fully recovered by the start of the next season but everyone is different.

Kyle Pitts tore his MCL just over a year ago. He had to undergo surgery (which happened one year ago to the day of writing this) and rehab. While reports were all good throughout the offseason, we still don't know what he is feeling like.

Watching him on the field can be a telltale sign, however. He isn't quite able to make those sharp cuts that he did before. He also isn't playing close to every snap in a game.

I don't think effort, passion, ability, or any of that is to blame; it just comes down to health. Arthur Smith has even hinted that Pitts is still recovering from the injury.

Take for example Atlanta Braves' superstar Ronald Acuna Jr. who sustained a bad knee injury in 2021. He was able to return partway through the 2022 season but was just not even close to the same player he was. After the season there were so many fans calling for him to be traded but all he did this past season was break all sorts of records and win MVP.

Sure, it is a different sport and a slightly different injury, but we assume that a player is going to recover and return to full health before the anniversary of the injury, that is just not fair to anyone. Have some patience, Pitts' time is coming.