Former Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts Healthy and Hungry

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When Atlanta Falcons tight ends coach Kevin Koger met his star pupil, Kyle Pitts, for the first time this spring, his eyes saw what his mind hadn’t previously registered.

The former Florida Gators star was drafted No. 4 overall by the Falcons in the 2021 NFL Draft.

“I didn’t realize how big he was,” Koger told FalconsSI during OTAs. “He’s listed at 6’9, and you’ve been around guys who are 6’6, and you walk up to him and you’re like, ‘Wow, you’re all 6’6. »

Then Koger saw Pitts, with his 33 1/2-inch arms, 10 5/8-inch hands and 83 3/8-inch wingspan, take the field for practice. He had a similar moment of surprise.

“You see him come out, you see him move, you’re like, ‘Oh wow, a guy that big shouldn’t be able to move like that,'” Koger said.

For Pitts, this means several things.

First, he was healthy and back on the field for OTAs and minicamp, which wasn’t the case last year. Pitts has been rehabbing the knee injury that abruptly ended his 2022 season after Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson hit him in the open field from behind in the knee during a Week 11 Falcons victory.

And second, the player commonly referred to as “The Unicorn” because of his size, athleticism and skill is getting closer to returning to the level that made him the highest drafted tight end in league history in 2021, an honor followed by a 1,026-yard season that was second-best all-time among rookie tight ends.

The Falcons are hoping Pitts can return to that form, but over the last two years it has eluded him due to a combination of injuries and poor quarterback play. He has caught passes from Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, each of whom are expected to be backups this year.

In 2022, Pitts caught 29 of his 58 targets while compiling 358 receiving yards and two touchdowns in 10 games before suffering a knee injury that led to MCL and PCL surgery. He followed suit with a stronger but unsatisfying 2023, catching 53 passes for 667 yards and three scores in 17 games.

Pitts said the lingering effects of the knee injury weren’t severe during games, but he dealt with soreness and tightness throughout the week leading up to Sunday, forcing the former University of Florida product to work through the 18-week season.

But Atlanta is optimistic that the now-healthy Pitts can put his struggles behind him. In late April, the Falcons picked up Pitts’ fifth-year option, giving him two more years to prove himself in Atlanta – and Pitts is ready to take advantage.

“It’s a blessing for the people at the top to still have faith in me,” Pitts said. “Try to show them I can do something different this year.”

Pitts has an assortment of new factors around him to create different outcomes.

The Falcons hired a new head coach and offensive coordinator in Raheem Morris and Zac Robinson, respectively. A month and a half later, they signed four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​and wide receiver Darnell Mooney, diverting attention away from Pitts and No. 1 receiver Drake London.

The changes have resulted in an environment rich with change that leaves Pitts excited for what’s to come. Robinson is eager to utilize the talents of one of the most physically gifted tight ends in the game.

Perhaps most notably, Robinson believes Pitts can shed the receiver label in a tight end’s corps.

This label has been well deserved thus far in his career. PItts only played as an in-line tight end 19.9% ​​of his snaps in three years with the Falcons according to Pro Football Focus. 80% of his time was spent in the slot or on the wings.

“There’s so much about him,” Robinson said. “You see his athleticism and what he can do when the ball’s in the air, what he can do with the ball in his hands. I’m excited about him as a blocker — I think that’s untapped potential. He’s willing and he wants to do it.”

“He wants to be a complete tight end, that’s what he’s preached from the start.”

Robinson said his mindset as a playmaker can go a lot of different ways with Pitts, who will move around the formation and be used at every level, whether it’s as an inline blocker, outside receiver or big slot.

Versatility is one of Pitts’ most appealing traits, Robinson said, although his position’s flexibility has required significant off-field work.

Robinson credited Koger and offensive assistant Patrick Kramer for helping Pitts make “impressive” progress, but Pitts has several influential voices around him because of how he’s used in Robinson’s offense.

“He’s basically learning two different positions because there’s a tight end and a receiver, and so he’s got a lot to do,” Robinson said. “He’s handled it really well. So, I’m just excited to see him continue to get more comfortable in the system.

“The sky is the limit as to what kind of season he can have. »

Pitts was fortunate to be selected by the Falcons in the first offseason of head coach Arthur Smith’s tenure. He learned a new offense alongside everyone else and played the same pattern for the first three years of his career.

But now, everything is new. He finds himself back at square one with the rest of the roster, albeit with 44 more games of perspective. Still, it’s a return to basics for the 23-year-old who is four months younger than first-round pick Michael Penix Jr.

“I would say I’m a great rookie,” Pitts said. “I’m not a rookie, but we’re all in this new attack, a new regime, a new schedule. So, we’re all fresh, but learning a new attack is always fun. »

And as Pitts learns the offense, the new coaching staff learns it. Koger runs meetings in the tight ends room and spends more time with Pitts than anyone else on Atlanta’s staff.

Koger, 34, who played collegiately at the University of Michigan from 2008-11, spent the last three years as the Los Angeles Chargers’ tight ends coach. He knows the ups and downs of an NFL season and how to build relationships.

For Koger, given the length of the season, it’s crucial to create an environment where players enjoy being together. The easiest way to make a long season even longer is to dread going to work.

Koger therefore stressed the need for each player to express themselves more off the field. He does not want them to feel the need to act in a certain way, but rather to show their true character every day.

Pitts did just that, finding more comfort and better health with the new offseason and new staff – and as spring turned to summer and the tight ends room spent more time with each other, Koger s ‘is attached to Pitts’ personality.

“He’s a very interesting guy,” Koger said. “There are things in his life that he wants to do off the field. He’s much more than just a football player. There are things in his life that are important to him, that motivate him, that are the reasons why he’s doing what he’s doing now.

“It was really nice to sit down with him, get to know him, learn about his background and where he comes from. So it was a joy.”

But as much as Pitts impressed Koger off the field, the 2021 Pro Bowler’s on-field skills remain the most notable. Koger is no stranger to successful tight ends; over the last four years, he’s been a part of teams that have produced career years for Robert Tonyan and Gerald Everett.

Still, Pitts is a different animal. Koger watched video of him before arriving in Atlanta, but he said there are aspects of his skill set that you can’t really feel or appreciate until you see it on the field.

“It’s been really impressive to be able to watch him in the way he operates,” Koger said. “Sometimes you feel like he’s not running but you stop, you watch the film – he’s so tall, so long and he’s such a smooth athlete, sometimes people don’t feel he runs, but he covers a lot of ground very quickly.

Pitts has fully participated in OTAs and minicamps for the Falcons, a status he didn’t reach until mid-August of last year. He formed strong chemistry with Cousins ​​and served as an unofficial, unaffiliated recruiter before free agency began.

Over the past two years, Pitts has often seen his role fluctuate on game day. With Cousins, there’s reason to believe Pitts will be involved more regularly, even on plays where he’s not the primary option.

“The ball is going to go where it’s supposed to go based on the coverage,” Robinson said. “Kirk can click progressions so well that (Pitts) can have six targets in a game, seven targets in a game – two where he was the lead and one where he was the backside.

“It just depends on the coverage.”

Regardless, the topic surrounding Pitts is once again football — not injuries, not past disappointments. Instead, the topic is what he can become: the Kyle Pitts of old.

Or is he the Kyle Pitts of the new? After all, with a new head coach, a new offense, a new position coach, a new passer and new teammates in the tight ends room, everything else is reinvigorated, turning the page on a new era in Atlanta.

And the same could prove true for Pitts this fall.

“We’re all in this situation,” Pitts said.