Falcons' Michael Penix on Kyle Pitts: 'Got to Find Him and Get Him the Ball'

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts finished his fourth NFL season with plenty of uncertainty around his future.

The 24-year-old Pitts caught 47 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns this past season. He set a new career high in touchdowns, but he saw fewer targets (74) than he did in 2023 (90) and subsequently had fewer receptions and receiving yards.

Pitts hasn't reached 700 receiving yards in a season since eclipsing 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2021, and Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot acknowledged after the season that Pitts hasn't taken a statistical step forward over the past three years.

So, what's next?

Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. thinks Pitts can still be a productive player -- but he said Wednesday on Pro Football Talk he wants Pitts to feel that way, too.

"For him, it's believing in himself," Penix said. "For me, I'm going to believe in him -- he knows that. I just talked to him the other day and we just talked about some of the things we want to do and it's like, 'Alright, I'm going to give you my all each and every day, and I want you to do the same.'"

Pitts endured a rocky 2024 campaign.

After a slow first month to the year, Pitts starred in October. He made 21 receptions for 314 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns in the month-ending victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27.

The problem, however, is Pitts roughly equaled that production in Atlanta's other 13 games combined.

From Weeks 1-4, Pitts caught eight passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. From Weeks 9-18, Pitts hauled in 18 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown. Across those 13 games, he totaled 26 receptions for 288 yards and two scores.

During the Falcons' final seven games, Pitts made only 13 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown on 25 targets. His touchdown was significant -- it marked Penix's first as a professional and helped the Falcons force overtime against the Washington Commanders in Week 17 -- but he failed to eclipse 45 receiving yards in a game from Nov. 17 onward.

In Penix's three-game stint as the starter to close the season, Pitts caught seven passes for 66 yards and a touchdown on 10 targets.

Penix noted several times during the season he didn't have many first-team reps in practice before replacing Cousins, meaning he lacked time on task with his receivers when he was thrust into action.

Now cemented as the team's starter moving forward, Penix plans on building a stronger rapport with Pitts.

"Once we do that, our connection is going to continue to build -- just getting those full-speed reps, getting those reps together in practice, feeling comfortable with the game plan," Penix said. "Obviously, it's different when you can scheme somebody up to get open based on game-plan and stuff like that. So, it could be some of that as well."

Getting Pitts more involved has been a common talking point throughout the past three Falcons offseasons. Penix will be his fifth different Week 1 quarterback in as many seasons.

Perhaps this time, in a contract year for Pitts, the vision is once again fulfilled.

"At the end of the day, whenever he's open, I've got to find him and get him the ball," Penix said. "And I know he'll make big time plays whenever it's in his hands."