This is not the kind of start the Atlanta Falcons had in mind when they handed Kyle Pitts a three-year, $54 million extension this offseason. Through the first two weeks of the season, the numbers are stark: one catch for 15 yards, four passing targets and a place tied for 34th among NFL tight ends. That is not a feature. That is a problem.
And yes, there is still time. Pitts is right to point out that it is a long season, and he would be selfish to get upset this early. But the Falcons did not pay him to be a long-season storyline. They paid him to be a central piece, and right now the production is nowhere near that level.
The usage is the real issue
The awkward part is not just the output. It is the scale of it. Pitts has played half of the Falcons' offensive snaps and still has only one catch. That tells you the offense has not found a clean, consistent way to turn participation into production. When a player is on the field that much and barely touching the ball, the questions get louder by the week.
Tommy Rees was blunt about it. “We have to get it going,” he said, and then added, “That’s my job.” That is the right tone, because this cannot simply be brushed off as bad luck. Rees also said, “We do love tight ends, and Kyle does fit that mold,” while stressing that “getting him going is something that is important to us.” In other words, the Falcons know this has to change.
The Packers make the timing even more awkward
Thursday night at Lambeau Field is not exactly the softest landing spot for an offense trying to rediscover a key weapon. The Green Bay Packers are a tougher matchup for tight ends than they are for wide receivers and running backs, which makes the need for smarter usage even more obvious. If Atlanta wants to get Pitts involved, it may need to manufacture touches rather than wait for the game to come to him.
Pitts, for his part, is saying the right things. “Obviously, I want to do as much as I can to contribute to this offense,” he said. “But it’s a long season, and we’ll get it on track.” Fair enough. The season is long. But the early evidence is already uncomfortable, because a player on this kind of contract should not be drifting this far out of the picture.
The Falcons do not need drama here. They need answers. They need a plan that matches the money, the draft status and the talent. If Kyle Pitts is going to matter the way Atlanta believes he can, this has to stop looking like a quiet start and start looking like the beginning of a correction.
