It took a few weeks, but Falcons rookie Kyle Pitts has clearly gotten comfortable in head coach Arthur Smith’s offense. Through the first four weeks of the season, Pitts averaged a 64.4 player grade per Pro Football Focus’ grading system. Then in Week 5, aided by the absence of Calvin Ridley and Russell Gage, Pitts was forced to become a bigger part of the offense.
Over the last two games, Pitts has posted an average offensive grade of 92.1. These two performances have brought his overall grade up to 85.2, the highest average for a rookie this season.
“Pitts already has more yards through his first six games than any tight end in NFL history, with 471,” writes PFF’s Michael Renner. “He’s seen his inline usage drop significantly in recent weeks as Atlanta is finally coming around to the idea of him as an X receiver. Pitts has only played 20 snaps inline the past two games and has responded with back-to-back 100-yard outings.”
The Falcons have previously benefited from Julio Jones as the X receiver because he drew so much attention in the passing game. This also allowed for Ridley to become as effective as he was, and could be a reason why he has been underwhelming this year. The hope is, as the season progresses, Pitts will draw similar attention and open things up for other playmakers along the perimeter and slot.
Here’s a list of Pitts’ notable stats through the first six games of his NFL career.