Kyle Pitts ‘definitely’ enjoying role as Falcons feel a breakthrough looms

FLOWERY BRANCH — Kyle Pitts was all alone. The Falcons’ star tight end stretched his right arm high above his head as his feet eagerly bounced off the Caesars Superdome turf. There were no Saints defenders within 10 yards of him.

If the ball went his way, he had a walk-in touchdown. It didn’t. But a few seconds later, as quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s pass sailed through the air and into the waiting hands of receiver Jahan Dotson, Pitts put his left arm in the air, too.

He signaled for a touchdown. The officials did, too. It was Dotson’s first as a Falcon, and first overall since Oct. 26, 2025. The first teammate to cross the goal line and attempt to celebrate with him? Pitts.

“It was his play,” Pitts said Thursday. “They just had a hiccup over there. I knew ‘Han was going to score that. If he didn’t, I knew it was coming my way.”

Such has been the first four weeks of Pitts’ campaign, a slow start for reasons not entirely within his control. He enjoyed his best night of the season in New Orleans, catching three passes for 47 yards, including a 28-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter to jump-start a touchdown drive.

Penix threw only 20 passes against the Saints, and Pitts had the second-most catches on the team, trailing only receiver Drake London’s five. The Falcons’ 21 drop-backs were the third-fewest in the NFL in Week 4, which meant fewer opportunities for their pass catchers.

All told, offensive coordinator Tommy Rees, who already noted multiple times he’s needed to help Pitts “get rolling,” felt Monday night served as a solid step forward.

“He made an impact,” Rees said Thursday. “There’s only so many opportunities to go around. I thought he maximized the ones he got. You saw his run after the catch. He got (9) yards on one, 10 on the other and (28) on the last one. So, you see when you’re able to get him going, the chunks that can be there.”

The larger issue — and the bigger focal point for Rees — is that Pitts topped his season total in both catches and yards with his performance against the Saints. He tallied just two catches for 20 yards on six targets in the Falcons’ first three games this season.

Pitts, however, has expressed no frustration with his role. He said after Week 2 he felt it would be selfish to be upset over a lack of pass-game production, and he told reporters Thursday he “definitely” enjoys his role in the Falcons’ offense.

“I mean, it’s a competitor’s role,” Pitts said. “Our team wins isn’t based on what I’m doing. It’s more so just how I can impact this offense.”

And Pitts certainly has made an impact, even if his receiving productivity hasn’t yet matched the heights he reached over the final six games of last season, during which he caught 39 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns.

Pitts has impressed the Falcons’ coaching staff with his work as a blocker.

He’s competing hard in the run game, Rees said. “He’s doing a great job there, and we have to continue to find ways to make him impactful.”

The 6-foot-6, 250-pound Pitts has steadily evolved his blocking skillset, though the Falcons often use Charlie Woerner and Nick Muse — two highly regarded blocking tight ends — on running downs. Still, Pitts is no liability as a blocker, and he’s helped spring multiple big runs already this season.

“Over the years, just getting better each year — that’s been something that’s been important to me,” Pitts said, “and being able to just continue to get better each week.”

Pitts believes the most dangerous aspect of the Falcons’ offense is its potential. With extensive personnel flexibility, Pitts feels the Falcons can defeat different defenses in different ways.

And for the Falcons to reach their offensive ceiling, Pitts’ involvement in the passing game is a key factor. Rees and coach Kevin Stefanski are self-admitted tight end appreciators, and according to Sharp Football Analysis, the Falcons have run 45% of their plays with two or more tight ends on the field at the same time, the fifth-highest mark in the league.

To maximize personnel, Pitts’ production takes center stage — and star running back Bijan Robinson feels his teammate is close to a breakthrough.

“Because he’s a competitor, man, I know he wants it (and) we want it for him,” Robinson said Wednesday.
“So, we’re going to keep supporting him on the practice field, on the field. But yeah, I feel like it’s going to come together for Kyle and we’re going to be right there with him supporting him through everything.

“We got to keep playing our game and then go see him work.”

The Falcons saw glimpses in Week 4 against the Saints. They’re hoping for — and expecting — more in Week 5, when the Baltimore Ravens (3-1) visit Atlanta for an 8:20 p.m. bout on “Sunday Night Football” inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium.