'Mayor of Atlanta': Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Eyes Resurgence with Raheem Morris, Kirk Cousins

After a difficult two seasons, tight end Kyle Pitts may be in line for a bounce-back fourth year with the Atlanta Falcons.

Dec 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) celebrates after a touchdown. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has watched his external perception change time and again during his three professional seasons - and Atlanta's hoping he'll do so again next season.

Pitts entered the NFL with the weight of being the highest-drafted tight end in league history at No. 4 overall in 2021. The Falcons passed on quarterbacks Justin Fields and Mac Jones to take Pitts, who proved them right as a rookie en route to 1,026 receiving yards, second-most by a rookie tight end ever.

The hype was vindicated. It only grew the following summer. But in the two years thereafter, Pitts' stock has been on a continual downward trajectory.

Marred by quarterback inconsistencies and a torn MCL that cost him the final six games of 2022, Pitts recorded 81 receptions for 1,023 yards and five touchdowns in 25 games over the past two years.

Now, the 23-year-old Pitts is entering his fourth professional season with questions surrounding who, exactly, he is - the player who starred as a rookie or who hasn't eclipsed 100 receiving yards in a game since Dec. 26, 2021.

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, hired in January, believes it's a reset year not only for Pitts but the organization overall. Morris personally finds the periods fun and exciting. He believes Pitts does, too - and is ready to remind the league why he was once so highly touted.

"He's the mayor of Atlanta," Morris said March 26 at the annual owners meeting. "I think he wants to come back and have a highly productive year. I think he's excited about his partnership with some of the guys that we brought in."

Dec 10, 2023; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) celebrates after a touchdown. / Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

The most pertinent addition to Pitts' success is Atlanta's free agency signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins, a four-time Pro Bowler who provides a sense of stability under center that hasn't been present since Matt Ryan was traded following the 2021 season.

Cousins has eclipsed 4,000 passing yards in seven of his eight seasons with double-digit starts and brings the pedigree, leadership and production demanded from a quarterback - a stark contrast from Atlanta's situation the past two years.

Between Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, Pitts has seen targets from a trio of passers since Ryan departed. Each of those three are scheduled to be backups in Week 1 of 2024, and only Heinicke remains on the Falcons' roster.

Morris described Ryan as a high-level veteran, something of a safe haven for a young pass catcher. It was an enviable situation favorable to fostering growth - unlike the past two years.

"It's easy when you're dealing with that guy that knows where he wants you to be," Morris said. "He knows how he wants you to get there. He knows what it looks like and when it's not done the right way, he has such a highly detailed way of telling you what to do."

In the years that have followed Ryan's exit, Pitts hasn't been able to recapture the magic. Due to his torn MCL in 2022, he didn't get to catch passes and build chemistry with Ridder until the summer of 2023.

Their on-field rhythm started in a deficit that was never fully overcome - or at least not quick enough, as the Falcons grew impatient with Ridder and benched him twice this past season.

As a result, Pitts' growth was derailed. Morris believes Cousins can help get it back on track.

"You got to work your way and hit your way through some problems with a young guy like Des, and it's not always going to marry right away, and it didn't," Moris said. "And hopefully we can get those things back for Kyle Pitts - bringing a veteran like Kirk Cousins so we can get some of those things back.

"Not to say he wouldn't have formed that with Des, it's just you don't have a bunch of time in his league, and we ran out of time."

The next step for Pitts is building a relationship with Cousins - and the two are already well on their way.

Pitts played a central role in Atlanta's signing of Cousins, sending him a text several weeks before free agency to express his interest and put the idea into motion. They joked about jersey numbers and targets, and ultimately, Pitts' pitch worked.

Beyond change under center, Pitts is working within a new scheme, as offensive coordinator Zac Robinson's arrival sparks the start of Atlanta's next offensive era.

Robinson said during his introduction Feb. 14 that Pitts can be deployed in a variety of roles, dubbing him a special player who will see plenty of touches.

Words are one thing. Actions are another. At least on paper, Morris sees no hindrances for Pitts' role in Atlanta's offense.

"I don't know if he has any limitations on Kyle and what he can do," Morris said. "I remember coming in it was the big debate whether he can block, whether he can be at the point of attack. And he's shown that he can do it in certain situations. And he shows he can do those things and he has the willingness and the 'want to' to do those things."

Upon arrival, the Falcons' coaching staff still needed more time to fully evaluate Pitts and understand how best to maximize his traits - a dilemma that ultimately contributed to head coach Arthur Smith's firing after season's end.

Pitts' 6-6, 246-pound build paired with an 83-inch wingspan and 4.44 40-yard earned him the "Unicorn" nickname. He's a unique player with a blend of qualities that should make him difficult to defend.

Too often over the past few years, the job of covering Pitts was made easier - be it because of schematics, quarterback play and everything in between.

But the Falcons' new coaching staff has a vision for Pitts - and for Morris, that vision can be summarized in one word: exciting.

"We know exactly what it is when it comes to the passing game and how elite he can be, with the high cross game, the go balls, the catch and run, pretty much anything on the route tree," Morris said. "So, I think he brings nothing but excitement when you're talking about how he wants to be used."

Production was once the name of the game for Pitts. In a sense, it still is - but for the wrong reasons. Pitts, Morris and Robinson intend on changing the narrative once more in 2024.

And by all accounts, there's palpable internal buzz of the group doing exactly that.

"Whether you spread him out, have him in line, have him in the backfield - really excited about his usage, really excited about, as he would say, his targets," Morris said. "I'm excited about all those things."