Ever since his Pro-Bowl rookie campaign where he had 68 catches for 1,026 yards, scored a touchdown, and nearly broke Mike Ditka’s rookie tight end receiving record, the amount of targets Kyle Pitts gets, his usage, and how Arthur Smith uses him has been criticized. Tuesday on The Morning Shift, Mike Johnson explained why the “he’s a fourth overall pick so we need to get him the ball” narrative needs to stop.
Pitts has the sixth-most targets in the NFL among tight ends, and is only eight targets behind Evan Engram for third. Pitts is second on the team in targets only behind Drake London. Pitts is being targeted, and the effort to try and get him the ball is there.
Instead of criticizing the play-calling, instead of criticizing Pitts' usage, it’s time to start asking the questions like: what is Pitts doing before the ball comes his way, what is he doing when he gets the ball, and is he making the most of his opportunities?