The Falcons are banking a lot on second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder. And the signal-caller is banking a lot on two of his super-sized weapons.
This regime made tight end Kyle Pitts and receiver Drake London its first two first-round draft choices. The towering targets create legitimate mismatches, aided further by how superb the rushing attack is expected to be. In the red zone, there aren’t many duos who should be tougher to defend.
London is listed 6-foot-4, 219 pounds and specializes in making contested catches. Pitts is 6-foot-6, 245 pounds and runs like a wideout. They’re a substantial reason the Falcons bet on Ridder, knowing he could play like a point guard and distribute the ball to those players rather than be relied upon to carry the load himself with a lesser supporting cast.
The pair’s size and catch radiuses will be invaluable. Even the top-tier quarterbacks need assistance from their best skill players.
“It certainly helps,” coach Arthur Smith said. “(A quarterback) doesn’t have to be perfect. You have a higher margin of error. These guys don’t just have the radius, but they’ve proven they can make those catches.”
In London’s case, he’s expected to continue ascending after a productive rookie season. He caught 72 passes for 866 yards and four touchdowns. The first receiver selected in a loaded 2022 draft, London proved worth the No. 8 overall pick as a budding No. 1 target.
He should see favorable matchups in this offense. After taking London and Pitts, the Falcons invested their latest top-10 pick in running back Bijan Robinson, who joined an already potent rushing attack. With how the Falcons can maneuver their skill players, and with opposing defenses focusing so much on the run, London should find himself in opportunistic situations.
“To be honest, it really doesn’t matter,” London said. “I’m just worried about lining up and winning games. If they want to double team me, triple team me, go ahead. We have a lot of players to go out there and play mismatches. If they want to do that, I’ll let the other dogs eat.”
For Pitts, it’s about health and getting the targets his talent warrants. He enjoyed a record-setting rookie season but played in only 10 games last season. He had 28 receptions on 59 targets, with “Why don’t the Falcons use Pitts?” a common talking point among outsiders (and the typically rowdy fantasy football crowd).
The Falcons targeted Pitts more than eight times once, when he had five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown on nine targets against Carolina. His other standout performance came in Week 3 against Seattle, when eight targets resulted in five catches for 87 yards. They targeted him five or fewer times in half his games.
Pitts’ season ended prematurely because of a torn MCL. He returned to game action last week for the first time since Nov. 20, playing nine snaps in the Falcons’ exhibition tie against the Bengals. Pitts said he’s “in a good spot” health-wise.
“It’s amazing,” London said of Pitts’ return. “You need a unicorn out there at some point, right? He’s back and healthy, and we’re excited to see him thrive and excel how we know he can.”
Asked to explain Pitts’ unicorn qualities, London continued.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to be 6-6 and be able to run like that,” he said. “I don’t think there are a lot of humans who are able to do that and able to break down (defenses) and run routes like he does. So it’s special to have him on our team.”
“I think he’s both (a tight end and receiver). He’s a hybrid. He can do anything, really. He’s 6-6, runs a sub 4.4 (40-yard dash). He could go in there and block. He can go out wide and run routes. I think he can do everything, that’s what makes him the unicorn that he is.”
The Falcons’ run-heavy offense won’t provide the volume other schemes might for London and Pitts, but they’re still instrumental to the team’s success. Their best combined output last season might’ve been the aforementioned Seahawks game, when they combined for 141 yards and a touchdown, snagging eight of 14 targets. They’ve haven’t yet scored touchdowns in the same game. The Falcons’ hope is their production skyrockets this season as the team fields one of the NFL’s more dynamic units.
If Ridder isn’t the Falcons’ long-term quarterback, it won’t be because the team failed to provide an adequate supporting cast. One could argue this is among the best possible situations for a young quarterback, heading an offense supplemented by a strong run game with behemoths like Pitts and London as pass catchers.
After Thursday’s exhibition finale, the focus will fully turn to Week 1. And this new-look offense, one in which the Falcons have so much invested, will assemble for the first time and try to meet its lofty expectations.
“I think it’s time to play some football, for real,” London said.
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