What exactly is wrong with Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts? The former No. 4 overall pick came into the league with sky-high expectations and somehow lived up to them as a rookie. Pitts finished the 2021 season with 1,026 receiving yards and looked like he could be the next Travis Kelce.
In 2022, Pitts wouldn’t have that same level of success for a variety of reasons. Not only was quarterback Marcus Mariota a far less effective passer than Matt Ryan, Pitts eventually suffered a season-ending MCL tear in Week 11.
Pitts finished his sophomore campaign with 28 catches for 356 yards and two touchdowns. Thus far in 2023, the former Florida star continues to have little impact on offense.
Through four games, Pitts has just 11 catches for 121 receiving yards. For comparison, Falcons tight end Jonnu Smith has 15 catches for 179 receiving yards this season.
Head coach Arthur Smith told reporters this week that Pitts still working his way back to 100 percent, but the numbers point to quarterback Desmond Ridder as the primary culprit.
Pitts has the lowest catchable target rate in the NFL this season at 57 percent. Even at 6-foot-6, the team can’t seem to get the ball close enough to the big tight end.
While it’s not all on Ridder, it looks pretty bad when you see that Falcons wide receiver Drake London is third on the list of lowest catchable target rate (59 percent).
Lowest catchable target rate, according to the @FantasyPtsData Suite
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) October 4, 2023
57% — Kyle Pitts
58% — Jonathan Mingo
59% — Drake London
63% — Jahan Dotson
63% — Darius Slayton
63% — Amari Cooper
65% — Tee Higgins
68% — Jordan Addison
70% — Jaxon Smith-Njigba
The Falcons are sticking with Ridder for another week at the very least. If the team continues to struggle on offense, though, don’t be surprised to see Smith make the move to backup Taylor Heinicke.
To Ridder’s credit, he owned up to his poor performance in London and is committed to getting better. Something still just feels off about Atlanta’s offense.
With an impressive ground game, it’s baffling why the Falcons can’t scheme guys like Pitts and London open off of play-action. We’ll see if the team can get things turned around against the Houston Texans in Week 5.