There’s a new coaching staff in Atlanta and a new view of how to use tight end Kyle Pitts.
Pitts had 149 catches for 2,049 yards and six touchdowns over his first three seasons and much has been made of the mismatches he can create as a receiver due to his size and athletic ability. Pitts has often been split wide as a receiver while other Falcons tight ends handled work as a blocker, but the first hints from the new staff are that will change.
Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said Pitts “can play just tight end” and tight ends coach Kevin Koger said the team has ideas about how to deploy Pitts effectively in the run game.
“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 the team’s 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.”
The Falcons have a decision to make about picking up Pitts’ fifth-year option in the coming weeks and doing so would be a strong sign of their confidence in Pitts’ ability to handle all they have in mind for him in 2024.
