Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Has 'Best Days Ahead' Despite Rough Patch

"It will happen sooner or later," Atlanta Falcons coach Arthur Smith said of tight end Kyle Pitts' breakthrough.

The narrative surrounding Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts appeared to be set after his rookie season.

Pitts entered the NFL as the highest-drafted tight end in league history and lived up to the billing in his first campaign, catching 68 passes for 1,026 yards and a touchdown. He posted the second-most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in league history.

Consider that Pitts was just 21 years old for the entirety of the ensuing offseason, and Atlanta boasted one of the sport's best young playmakers.

But in the year and a half that have followed, there's a new narrative emerging around Pitts - and it doesn't paint him in as flattering of a light.

Pitts' 2022 season was largely chalked up as disappointing but out of his control; he saw 59 targets but hauled in only 28 of them, logging 356 receiving yards and two scores in 10 games before suffering a season-ending torn MCL.

The injury lingered into 2023, as Pitts began the year still gathering confidence in his knee and wasn't at 100 percent physically when Atlanta during the early stages.

As a result, Pitts started slowly, posting only 121 receiving yards in the first four weeks, but started to find his stride in Week 5, catching seven passes for 87 yards against the Houston Texans.

Pitts Has 'Enormous' Impact in Win vs. Texans

However, in the five games that followed, Pitts failed to catch more than four passes and eclipse 56 receiving yards in one game.

Thus, Pitts hit Atlanta's bye week with 35 receptions for 419 yards and a touchdown, marginally improved from last year's marks through 10 games but still far off the pace he set as a rookie.

Still, Falcons coach Arthur Smith is proud of how far Pitts has come and the manner in which he's handled the recovery from his knee injury.

"It’s a long journey," Smith said. "Talking about a guy that came into the league with incredible hype. Damn near broke every rookie record. Where Kyle is so encouraging is ... everybody is different and they’re going to do what’s best for them, but you appreciate the guys that are working through it."

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts in action Week 5 against the Houston Texans / USA Today Sports

Pitts doesn't have a 100-yard receiving game since Dec. 26, 2021. By kickoff Sunday, it'll be exactly 700 days since his 102-yard showing against the Detroit Lions. He's played 22 games in that time span and hasn't posted more than 87 yards once.

Toss in the torn MCL, challenge to rebuild confidence and his status as a new parent, and the now-23-year-old Pitts is in a completely different place than he was two seasons ago.

But through adversity, Pitts has illustrated the characteristics that made the Falcons so fond of him during the pre-draft process, all the while inspiring confidence his future is brighter than anything he's done in the past.

"It would be easy to make excuses, it would be easy to blame things on that, and that’s why we love Kyle," Smith said. "That’s why we drafted him. Again, his best days are ahead of him. So, in any game, there are ebbs and flows. That’s what you appreciate. It will happen sooner or later.”

Pitts' role in Atlanta's offense remains larger than the stats may suggest. He's second on the team in targets, trailing only receiver Drake London, and is tied for second in receptions with fellow tight end Jonnu Smith.

Among tight ends, Pitts ranks 11th in the league in targets, 13th in yards and 17th in receptions. He trails Jonnu Smith in yards. Some of it's a product of the changes the Falcons' offense has undergone in recent years, but the numbers remain what they are.

At his current pace, Pitts will conclude the season with 60 receptions for 712 yards and two touchdowns, which is certainly a respectable campaign ... but not quite at the level he reached as a rookie.

Arthur Smith isn't sure Pitts is physically at the level he was two years ago - but he doesn't feel that's up to him to decide. Instead, Smith is focused on valuing what Pitts brings to Atlanta's offense and, on a bigger scale, locker room.

“I appreciate him, and I appreciate his toughness," Smith said. "I appreciate the way he approaches work every day. Comes in here – and we have a lot of guys like that. That gives me a lot of conviction about this team. Obviously, we have to go do it on Sunday.”

The Falcons (4-6) will kick off their seven-game sprint to the finish line at 1 p.m. EST Sunday, when the New Orleans Saints (5-5) enter Mercedes-Benz Stadium with first place in the NFC South up for grabs.

In his three-game career against New Orleans, Pitts has caught only seven of 19 passes for 89 yards. If he were to match those numbers Sunday, it'd mark the best overall game of his campaign.

Statistically, Pitts is a long way from where he was two years ago ... but Smith is confident he'll not only get back to that level, but reach new heights thereafter.

And so, it's just a matter of time - but with the Falcons needing a win Sunday to turn their season around, the clock may be ticking for Pitts to prove Smith right.