The Falcons shipped off Matt Ryan to the Colts, and brought in Marcus Mariota immediately after. He'll be their starting quarterback, operating an offense that doesn't appear to have any viable wide receivers. It does have Kyle Pitts, however.
Pitts should be a target monster, though it's fair to worry that he'll also be about the only player defenses need to account for. Atlanta needs to do something to take pressure off him, perhaps selecting one of the draft's top wideouts or adding one of the viable free agents still floating around. Maybe they'll need to use Cordarrelle Patterson a little more as a wide receiver this season.
The good news, for those hoping to select Pitts, is that Mariota has long been willing to feature his tight ends. Including around the goal line: Of the 17 touchdowns he's thrown in his last 13 full games (I've removed some contests where he played part-time, with either Blaine Gabbert or Ryan Tannehill also playing due to injury/performance), nearly half (8) have gone to tight ends. Only two of the players who caught those touchdowns (Delanie Walker and Darren Waller) were remotely comparable in ability and athleticism to Pitts.
| TES WITH MARIOTA AT QB, LAST 13 GAMES | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Opp | Cmp | Att | Yds | TD | Tight Ends | Stats |
| 2018 | at LAC | 24 | 32 | 237 | 1 | Stocker/Smith | 4-22-1 |
| 2018 | at Dall. | 21 | 29 | 240 | 2 | Jonnu Smith | 2-33-1 |
| 2018 | N.E. | 16 | 24 | 228 | 2 | Jonnu Smith | 3-45-1 |
| 2018 | at Ind. | 10 | 13 | 85 | 0 | Firkser/Smith | 9-88-0 |
| 2018 | at Hou. | 22 | 23 | 303 | 2 | Firkser/Smith | 6-115-1 |
| 2018 | NYJ | 20 | 35 | 282 | 2 | Firkser/Smith | 5-71-1 |
| 2018 | Jac. | 18 | 24 | 162 | 0 | Firkser/Pruitt | 5-43-0 |
| 2019 | at Cle. | 14 | 24 | 248 | 3 | Delanie Walker | 5-55-2 |
| 2019 | Ind. | 19 | 28 | 154 | 1 | Delanie Walker | 4-39-0 |
| 2019 | at Jax | 23 | 40 | 304 | 0 | Walker/Smith | 9-84-0 |
| 2019 | at Atl. | 18 | 27 | 227 | 3 | Walker/Smith | 2-9-0 |
| 2019 | Buf. | 13 | 22 | 183 | 0 | Walker/Smith | 2-67-0 |
| 2020 | LAC | 17 | 28 | 226 | 1 | Darren Waller | 9-150-1 |
Mariota's offensive coordinator in those 2019 games, of course, was current Falcons coach Arthur Smith.
Mariota's last great start, as it happens, was at Atlanta back in 2019: 227 yards and 3 TDs in a 24-10 win. Two weeks later he was on the bench, with a single noteworthy performance in relief of Derek Carr (in which Waller had a big game) the last two seasons.
I'm not confident Mariota himself will turn his career around in Atlanta. While he has the history of working with Smith, that history includes being benched for Tannehill, a decision Smith presumably had input into. Atlanta signing him now doesn't mean they love him, it might just mean they view him as the best available veteran stopgap. Atlanta doesn't have a great offensive line, and as noted it's pitifully short on receiving weapons.
But Mariota will be looking for Pitts regularly. no matter how much defensive attention he's drawing. The goal-line rapport Mariota has had with his TEs in the past should help him blow away the measly 1 TD he caught as a rookie.
--Andy Richardson