FLOWERY BRANCH — Falcons coach Kevin Stefanski shied away from claiming he’s a tight end whisperer, but he’s a proud aficionado of the position that’s steadily gaining more prevalence in offenses around the league.

And Stefanski’s past — and that of offensive coordinator Tommy Rees — proves it.

Last season, as the Browns’ offensive brain trust, Stefanski and Rees leaned heavily on tight ends. Standout rookie Harold Fannin Jr. ranked fifth in the NFL in target share at 21.36%, according to SumerSports, while veteran David Njoku was No. 31 at 11.94%. The Browns were one of only four teams — along with the Raiders, Dolphins and Titans — to have two tight ends with at least an 11% target share.

That’s good news for Kyle Pitts, and it shines a brighter light on the rest of a Falcons tight end room that offered little pass-catching production behind Pitts. But that room also didn’t have Austin Hooper.

The Falcons reunited with Hooper this offseason after six seasons apart. Hooper left Atlanta after the 2019 season, fresh off a pair of productive pass-catching campaigns and Pro Bowl appearances, and played for the Stefanski-led Browns in 2020 and 2021.

Hooper and undrafted rookie Jack Velling are the lone newcomers at tight end, where Pitts, Charlie Woerner and Joshua Simon return from last season. Woerner is one of the game’s best blocking tight ends, while Simon spent much of last season on the practice squad.

Hefty tight end usage isn’t a new phenomenon for the Falcons, who ran the second-highest percentage of snaps in 12 personnel — two tight ends — in the NFL last season, trailing only the Browns. But the addition of Hooper, coupled with the new staff’s affinity for the position, suggests more will be asked from the Falcons’ tight ends.

And that’s plenty fine for Kevin Koger, who’s entering his third year coaching tight ends in Atlanta.

“When the head coach has an affinity for the position, you can tell that love,” Koger said during OTAs. “It’s felt in the room.”

Here’s a deeper look at the Falcons’ tight ends before players arrive for training camp July 28 in Flowery Branch.

Depth chart

Starter: Kyle Pitts

Backups: Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner

Notable departures

• Teagan Quitoriano (free agent, signed with Arizona Cardinals)
• Feleipe Franks (free agent, signed with Carolina Panthers)

Biggest questions

1. What does Kyle Pitts do for an encore?

Pitts is used to expectations, but this feels like a different training camp for him. The 25-year-old enjoyed a strong finish to last season, catching 39 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns over the final six games, and he catapulted the success to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in late June.

New contract. New staff. New Pitts? Maybe. But the Falcons would surely take the version of Pitts who showed up to close the 2025 campaign.

That’s been the blessing and curse of Pitts’ five-year career. He’s delivered tremendous highs and frustrating lows, both occurring often enough to level out by season’s end. If Pitts carries his momentum from last winter into this year, he’ll be among the best tight ends in the league.

The situation fits Pitts well — he lucked out in the “new coach” department — and everything appears in place for the highest-drafted tight end in league history to build upon a resurgent 2025 season.

Perhaps his follow-up performance will be even better. Stefanski was certainly pleased by the early returns of Pitts’ summer work.

“The physical skillset is obvious when Kyle’s on the field, with how big he is and how he moves,” Stefanski said in May. “But I’ve been impressed with what we’re asking him to do, a couple new things for him. As your players continue on in their career, you want to find out more, what else is in there and what else can we do, and what can we help you with.

“So, I think Kyle’s been outstanding in that regard of trying to continue to get better in so many areas.”

2. How much does Austin Hooper add in the pass game?

Across 2018-19, his final two years in Atlanta, Hooper caught 146 passes for 1,447 yards and 10 touchdowns, developing into one of the game’s best young pass-catching tight ends. Now 31 years old and entering Year 11 as a professional, Hooper is something of a wily veteran.

But don’t lose sight of this: He’s still, Koger promises, a quarterback-friendly target who’s always right where he needs to be.

“There’s a lot of things he does naturally in the pass game that you can’t teach,” Koger said. “The reason why he’s been here this long in the NFL is just his pass game intangibles, things you can’t coach.

“I think it’s very easy to throw to Austin Hooper.”

So, how often will the Falcons’ quarterback, be it Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa, do it this fall? Hooper notched 21 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns as a complementary tight end with the New England Patriots last season, and his two least-productive years from a yardage perspective came in 2023 and 2025. There was, however, a quality 2024 season sandwiched in between.

Hooper has several factors working in his favor. The Falcons have questions surrounding their receiving corps and who emerges behind Drake London. They have uncertainty at quarterback, and Stefanski historically uses a quicker, shorter, horizontally-based system, both of which are advantageous for tight ends.

The Falcons used the 6-foot-4, 254-pound Hooper quite often in red zone packages during OTAs and minicamp, and he may be a bigger threat in goal line scenarios with his frame and ball skills.

Whether he’s a consistent presence or merely makes an occasional play, Hooper should see the field plenty this fall — but the extent of his impact will be important to monitor.

3. Does Hooper’s addition change the numbers for Charlie Woerner?

The Falcons leaned heavily on Woerner’s blocking impact last season. He played 565 snaps on offense, which equates to 51.55% of the team’s total, while catching a career-high eight passes for 48 yards, his second-highest mark in six professional seasons.

Woerner isn’t much of a pass-catching threat. The 6-foot-5, 250-pounder is a throwback tight end, one who’s well-regarded for his ability to seal rushing lanes and serve as an extension of the offensive line.

But with Hooper, the Falcons have another tight end who’s capable of blocking, and he adds more production through the air. The team will remain heavy into 12 personnel, but Hooper will surely cut into Woerner’s snap share from last year. The question isn’t so much about if it’ll happen, but how much the number truly changes.

Koger touted Hooper’s ascending blocking skills as a key reason for his career longevity.

“One thing that’s helping him extend his career is the run game aspect of it,” Koger said. “Him being able to put his hands on people late in his career, I think that’s helping him extend his career.”

Woerner, of course, is a better option for running plays. But for the sake of at least posing a threat of a pass play, Hooper aids the disguise while giving more value as a pass-catcher.

So, how do the Falcons blend the two together, and will they try any three tight end sets? We’ll see.

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