This week’s big question: what is Kyle Pitts’ role?

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but Kyle Pitts isn’t producing like many expected, and fingers are being pointed in all directions. We’ve seen shots that indicate the former number four overall is lazy, poorly managed and has lost the juice he once possessed.

One of the worst things to happen to Pitts was his 1,026-yard rookie season for the Atlanta Falcons. It was a fantastic achievement, but it also created expectations that have become a huge burden on the player’s shoulders. During that season, we saw two other tight ends eclipse the milestone, Mark Andrews (1,361) and Travis Kelce (1,125). The tight end position felt more versatile than ever, and many believed it could be the focal point of entire offenses based on the success of a handful of teams, but that’s not really what happened.

Since 2021, only Travis Kelce (2022) and Geroge Kittle (2023) have reached 1,000 yards in the regular season, with total yards dropping from 1,338 to 1,020. We also saw offenses across the league begin to transition back to running the ball as the boxes became lighter and defenses were built to stop the pass. As that transition happened, the need for a traditional Y-tight end became a focus for teams, leading us to where we are today with Pitts and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson.

Robinson comes from the coveted Sean McVay system, which operates with 11 men and has no tight ends in the passing game. In the McVay offense, tight ends typically fall third or fourth on the target list. In 2022, Tyler Higbee led the team in goals, but the team suffered a wave of injuries that year. Dating back to 2017, tight ends in McVay’s system finished outside the top 15 in total yards among tight ends five times. Not much is asked of these tight ends in the receiving game. They are consistently used as run blockers and are asked to initiate the passing game before being released; sounds familiar?

According to PFF data, Kyle Pitts is being used inline at a rate of 57.5%, which is on pace to be a career-high rate of nearly 20%. That’s a huge role change and a delta in usage rates, but it’s in line with what we’d expect from a McVay student. Zac Robinson has been committed to these implementations. Week 1 is the only time Pitts had more than 11 snaps in the slot, with 24. Pitts is no longer an F-tight end; he’s a Y.

So not to beat a dead horse, but yes, he still has to adapt to this new role, which is challenging and different from the one he was drafted into. Like I said before, 2021 has almost become a curse. Pitts saw an unreal usage rate and was featured as the team’s true number one option. Since then, Pitts has been dealing with a nagging knee injury and the team added several pieces that would also require football. Those pieces (Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Darnell Mooney) take priority over the tight end in Atlanta’s new offense.

That said, many current complaints have nothing to do with the X’s and O’s and focus more on effort and skill. I won’t make excuses; some plays show a lack of effort, but the number believed to exist has become exaggerated. Kyle Pitts isn’t a perfect blocker, but he’s a lot more willing than he gets credit for, and we’ve seen improvements in these four games. He’s being asked to do this more than ever, so yes, there will obviously be more losses. From the receiver’s point of view, a bad route does not equal a lazy route; some routes are easier to run than others depending on the player. Kyle Pitts has never been a fast receiver; There are few men his size.

These quick movements and other short concepts where he has to stop and start more do not suit his game. Pitts wants to get vertical and work up the field, allowing him to build his speed, and that’s when he’ll be at his best. We saw it in Kansas City on his 50-yard reception and in the end zone when he cleanly beat his man on a play that should have been a touchdown or pass interference at worst. And yes, Pitts still has enough speed to get vertical, regardless of what GPS-based separation data says. That data is measured at the point of catch for targeted wide receivers, misses open, non-targeted receivers, and does not take into account the passing of WRs into coverage. Pitts is still opening soon.

Will this role ever change or expand? Maybe, but it will be a slow process. Kyle Pitts always had a two-year plan for this current offense. Year 1 was always going to be a slower start as Robinson felt comfortable implementing the basics of the system and was able to get started on the other parts first. There have been small flashes of Pitts being the focus of a play, but for now it probably won’t go much further. One reason is that not all current opportunities are taken, and the second reason is that there is only one football. Could there ever be a ‘Pitts package’? Sure, but most would be fine with Pitts’ current role if the offense operated at a higher level.

This offense leaves meat on the bone, and Pitts’ drastically different role has increased the spotlight on the young tight end. Still, it’s only four games and Pitts is still under contract for at least thirty games. This process will take time, and while I understand how frustrating it is to hear that in year four, the truth is all we can do is wait and see.