There were a few headlines to come out of the first day of voluntary OTAs for the Atlanta Falcons. One of those headlines was made a big deal by some local and national media, and that was the fact that Falcons’ backup quarterback Kirk Cousins was not present at something that is purely voluntary.
However, one absence did come as a surprise, and that was the absence of tight end Kyle Pitts. The Morning Shift explained why Pitts missing the Falcons’ first day of OTAs is a way bigger deal than Kirk Cousins’ nonattendance.
“I am very irritated that a player who has done pretty much nothing since his rookie year, who is on a contract year, who could use the time to work with the young quarterback that is gonna be running this team decided not to show up," Beau Morgan said. "Now maybe there’s a great reason for it, and I am holding all of my judgment until I find out.”
Falcons’ right tackle Kaleb McGary and Falcons wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud also missed the voluntary workout, but Beau is “unbothered” by their absences because unlike Pitts they have produced, have shown their good work ethic, and have proven to get better.
“The fact that the tight end who has been questioned at times with his work ethic and his route-running ethic and quitting on plays by many in the national media and that do the games, that one bothers me a little bit,” Morgan said.
Pitts’ absence also bothers Beau because it reminds him a lot of a former Falcon whose love for the game was also in question after having one good season, and then flaming out.
“The only thing that bothers me about the Pitts thing is that I saw this story already. I saw it with Vic Beasley," Morgan said. "Vic Beasley in his last year where it was a contract year, he was in his fifth-year option skips OTAs and did pretty much not a lot in his final season here which was the story of Vic Beasley’s career. He had one good year just like Kyle Pitts, and then the rest of it was a lot of nothing, you know why, because he didn’t love the game, and everything I see from Pitts on the field shows me a guy that doesn’t love the game, and that’s the only reason why that one bothers me.”
On a scale of 1-10 Mike Johnson thinks Kyle Pitts not being at Falcons’ OTAs is an eight on the worry-meter.
Pitts could have missed Tuesday’s voluntary workout for a very good reason, and if he’s back at the rest of the workouts then this will be a nothing burger. If he does miss more, though, and has a bad season in a contract year, his career will be a bad sequel to a bad movie Beau and Falcons fans already saw and endured once with Beasley.