Why I’m not ready to freak out over Kyle Pitts’ targets… yet

I get it. Trust me, I get it why people are so worried about the first two games performance and production (or lack there of) by Pitts and Terrell. Yes, Pitts’ lack of targets against the Rams was a shock to the system. And yes, the touchdowns scored with Terrell in coverage are surprising. However, I am not ready to write them off. Not in the slightest.

I’ll preface this section by saying I have not watched the all-22 film yet. When I do, I hope I can answer these sets of questions, using Pitts as an example:

1) How much are opposing defenses shading coverage to him?

2) How much is Mariota’s decision-making affecting Pitts’ targets?

I’m not in the camp that believes Smith is play-calling in a way that is completely taking Pitts away offensively. I don’t believe that for a second, because I don’t think there’s a play-caller out there that wouldn’t want to utilize the talents of arguably their most dynamic player on the roster. You don’t think Smith wants to get the ball into his hands? C’mon.

So, yes, I tend to believe Smith when he says that Pitts is doing things on the field that frees up other people like Khadarel Hodge or Drake London (who we’ll talk about next). And yes, I tend to believe that Mariota dictates this, too. According to TruMedia, eight of Pitts’ 10 targets this year have come with a separation of one to three yards. He only has one target in the category that dictates less than one yard of separation, which you would consider your 50/50 balls. Personally, I tend to think Pitts is at his best when battling it out in tight windows. Moving forward, I would like to see his targets in those tight window scenarios increase in the coming weeks.

So, no. I’m not ready to freak out over Pitts lack of targets… yet.