Falcons' Pitts has knee surgery, out rest of season

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons choky extremity Kyle Pitts is retired for the play aft having country connected Tuesday to repair the MCL successful his close knee, Falcons manager Arthur Smith said Wednesday.

Pitts had injured the genu successful the 2nd fractional of Atlanta's triumph implicit Chicago connected Nov. 20 and missed Sunday's nonaccomplishment to Washington. Smith said erstwhile they initially had the diagnosis of his injury, they thought it would beryllium adjacent regarding whether helium could instrumentality this year, and past sent him to circumstantial genu experts to marque further determinations.

Pitts posted a representation successful his Instagram communicative precocious Tuesday nighttime of him with a brace and wrapper connected his close genu aft surgery, with "Day 1" written connected the image.

Smith said helium believes the wounded volition not person interaction connected Pitts' 2023 season, and they expect him to beryllium bully to spell by then. Whether Pitts volition beryllium acceptable for the commencement of offseason workouts remains a question.

"We'll conscionable person to see," Smith said. "Nothing that concerns america for existent games successful the season."

The 22-year-old Pitts was a Pro Bowler arsenic a rookie successful 2021 and became the 2nd rookie choky extremity successful NFL past to person implicit 1,000 yards successful his archetypal twelvemonth successful the league.

Playing successful a antithetic benignant of discourtesy successful his 2nd season, Pitts' numbers dropped. He had 28 catches for 356 yards and 2 touchdowns successful 10 games successful 2022, and adjacent earlier the genu wounded successful November, helium had been dealing with a hamstring wounded that outgo him 1 crippled successful October.

Smith, aft Pitts was injured, said his prima choky extremity had been playing done a batch successful the 2022 season, thing evidenced by however helium could -- oregon could not -- unfastened up astatine apical velocity connected extracurricular routes.

"He had evidently bigger statistical numbers successful the passing crippled a twelvemonth ago," Smith said. "We were a overmuch antithetic squad successful a antithetic place. Where you saw a batch of maturation successful a batch of different jobs we asked him to do. Certainly determination are things that you privation would person gone different, I deliberation that's astir apt each year, but you tin spot that maturation arsenic a subordinate arsenic he's go a much implicit player."

A batch of that had to bash with however Atlanta has played this play -- overmuch much reliant connected the tally than the walk -- and the tendency of some Pitts and the coaching unit to marque Pitts a much implicit choky extremity alternatively of a walk receiving-only choky end.

In the offseason, Pitts worked heavy connected his blocking. It was thing the second-year subordinate took immense pridefulness in, telling ESPN earlier this play that blocking is "something that I instrumentality idiosyncratic due to the fact that it's always, 'He's conscionable a receiver. He doesn't privation to block.'"

Atlanta ran down him this play overmuch much than it did a twelvemonth ago. And it's portion of wherefore Smith was pleased with the play Pitts had, adjacent if the statistical numbers didn't show.

Pitts showed that much successful 2022 successful a strategy that tin inquire much of choky ends that immoderate others successful the NFL. It's the operation of what Pitts showed successful 2021 successful a much pass-heavy discourtesy and successful 2022 successful a much run-heavy 1 that helps springiness Smith assurance for Pitts' aboriginal successful 2023 and beyond.

"The champion happening is you're not wishing oregon hoping," Smith said. "You cognize he's done it and you cognize he's made different gains successful antithetic areas of what we've asked him to do, truthful you're precise assured and affirmative astir predicting the future.

"You can't foretell everything, but you've got grounds and he's made truthful overmuch maturation and he's specified an impactful player, whether helium touches the shot oregon doesn't."

With Pitts retired for the season, Atlanta has looked to a operation of choky ends MyCole Pruitt, Anthony Firkser and Parker Hesse on with fullback Keith Smith and moving backmost Cordarrelle Patterson, among others, to assistance capable the assorted roles helium had wrong the team.