Kyle Pitts made history in 2021 when the Atlanta Falcons selected him at No. 4 overall, making him the highest-drafted tight end of all time. He followed that up by challenging Mike Ditka’s longstanding tight end record for receiving yardage in a rookie season.

While Pitts came up just shy of Ditka’s mark, he still made the Pro Bowl after reeling in 68 passes for 1,026 yards and a touchdown. Unfortunately, that remains the high-water mark of his NFL career to date.

Injuries limited Pitts to only 10 games as a sophomore, while poor quarterback play and questionable offensive schemes led to him posting only 53 receptions for 667 yards and three touchdowns despite being available for all 17 games last season.

Things are poised to change for Pitts in 2024 thanks to Atlanta’s acquisition of Kirk Cousins. The Falcons have churned through a slew of underwhelming signal-callers in recent years, but the veteran quarterback should provide some much-needed stability under center.

Pitts looked great while catching passes from a fading Matt Ryan as a rookie, so he shouldn’t have trouble dominating with Cousins taking over. Cousins has built a strong rapport with his tight ends over his 12 seasons in the NFL, most recently leaning heavily on T.J. Hockenson during their tenure with the Minnesota Vikings.

Cousins targeted tight ends on 27 percent of his throws in 2023, the fifth-highest percentage in the league. No quarterback has targeted the position more than Cousins since 2015, per Zachary Pereles of CBS Sports. In that same span, he ranked fourth in the league in both passing yards and touchdowns when throwing to his tight ends.

Even with fellow early-first rounders Drake Maye and Bijan Robinson set to account for a large portion of touches in Atlanta’s new-look offense, Pitts should get fed plenty. His versatility and ability to create mismatches, as well as Cousins’ reliance on tight ends, should result in a career-best campaign and another Pro Bowl appearance.