Kyle Pitts dealt with injury in the 2022 season, resulting in a down year compared to his rock star rookie campaign.
There are reasons beyond the injuries that Pitts struggled to put up consistent numbers in his 10 starts last season, but his missing the final six games of the season certainly did not help matters.
However, there was a key factor for why he could be able to bounce back in 2023 that was beyond his control last year.
Kyle Pitts will return in 2023
The first talking point is perhaps the most obvious. If you are unable to play, odds are your fantasy football output will suffer.
Coincidentally, that is what happened to the tight end in his sophomore campaign. Pitts sustained a couple of injuries last season that resulted in his missing seven games.
The first injury was a hamstring strain, causing him to miss a week. However, the second one is the main concern as he tore his MCL in the end of November and missed the remainder of the season.
Thankfully, Pitts is on track in his recovery process, and “the team expects Pitts back for training camp,” head coach Arthur Smith said via Sports Illustrated.
With that in mind, things have changed a lot for the Atlanta Falcons since he went down at the end of last season.
Marcus Mariota limited Kyle Pitts’ output
The team changed quarterbacks at the end of the year in an attempt to save its slim playoff hopes. The Falcons still missed the playoffs, but the change was significant nonetheless.
Marcus Mariota is a fan-favorite player as he creates exciting plays all over the field, but he has proven rather ineffective as a passer in the NFL.
Despite being the primary starting quarterback for five years throughout his time in the league, Mariota has never thrown for over 3,500 yards in a season.
However, reuniting with his former head coach in Tennessee gave vibes that Kyle Pitts could be Mariota’s new Delanie Walker.
This comparison never panned out for the quarterback or the tight end. Although, it was not given much of a chance.
Mariota threw the ball an average of 23 times per game as the starting quarterback for Atlanta.
Desmond Ridder could help Kyle Pitts produce more
Desmond Ridder slid in the draft and didn't get the elite draft capital that we were all craving.
BUT…
The Falcons built an out in Marcus Mariota's contract after this season.
Ridder could end up 2023 Week 1 starter with Kyle Pitts and Drake London as his main targets.
— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) May 2, 2022
Conversely, Desmond Ridder never threw the ball less than 26 times in a game last season en route to averaging nearly 29 tosses per game.
Ridder is still coming into his own and could benefit from having a tremendous tight end, like Pitts, to throw the ball to.
With Pitts back in the lineup for the 2023 season, it would be fair to assume he would command a higher target share than MyCole Pruitt did as Ridder’s starting tight end.
Pruitt averaged five targets per game with the starting rookie quarterback. Pitts could see a higher target share with whomever his quarterback is next season.
Ridder is not a lock for the starting job heading into 2023 with the recent acquisition of Taylor Heinicke in free agency.
Regardless of which player ends up with the starting job next year, talented players get the ball in the NFL. Pitts is perhaps the most talented player on the offensive side of the ball in Atlanta, so he should have a bounce back season if the team throws the ball with any amount of consistency.
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