(Yesterday, 10:53 PM)jason Wrote: When you're drafted ahead of Ja'Marr Chase, Penei Sewell, Micah Parsons, Surtain, etc etc etc... and you've had a career like Pitts so far... You're a bust. We can call it a huge disappointment if that sounds better.

I'll call it drafted too high.  A TE who averages over 600 yards per season does not go down as a bust in my book. But we all have our standards. 

(Yesterday, 10:56 PM)bfine32 Wrote: I'll call it drafted too high.  A TE who averages over 600 yards per season does not go down as a bust in my book. But we all have our standards. 

You're right. He's an average TE (a position with very few difference makers) taken in the top 5 of the first round. You can't act like there weren't and haven't been bigger expectations for him though. The OP seemed pretty excited just by the mention of his name. I'd say that excitement stems from what he was expected to be more than what he has been.

The 3 guys taken ahead of Pitts that year have been disappointing to busts themselves too. Personally I'm glad that draft fell the way it did.

(Yesterday, 10:49 PM)jason Wrote: But Darnell Mooney was able to resurrect his career in Atlanta? You're right... The Falcons haven't had Joe Burrow, but this guy was supposed to be the "generational talent" at TE. Four years in and we still haven't seen it. I think if Pitts wasn't drafted 4th overall, nobody would be excited about the prospect of trading for him. Maybe I'm wrong and it's just bad luck.

Also... Joe Burrow couldn't do anything with Irv Smith

Kyle Pitts and Irv Smith aren't exactly an apples to apples comparison.

I'd be open to trading a draft pick for Pitts if we didn' need so much help on defense and at OG. As it is, I'm a no on this idea.

(Yesterday, 06:52 PM)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: This is a silly idea.

Another $10 million underachiever and giving up draft assets to do it?

No thanks. Wait until he is a FA.

Use the pick for cost controlled help to the D (DE, DT, LB, S) or the IOL.

I'd much rather pay BJ Hill that $10 mil, or use it to pay Hilton or Gesicki with some left over.

I agree, no time to plunder $$$$, get good players at a lesser price...we've already lost a lot of good players, with the bad ones we have, we can improve it fairly easier.

I haven't watched enough of the Falcons over the past few years to notice if the decline in Pitts's targets was due to the team realizing he wasn't good enough to be the 2nd option in the offense or if the team just wanted to prioritize the WRs over him and have essentially made him the 3rd option.

Regardless, Pitts has maintained a healthy 13.5 YPR average across his 4 seasons.
His catch % is 58.9%, which is lower than Gesicki (65.3%), but Pitts I know is going out for deeper routes, so the reduced catch % may be more because of how he's used.

If we play some TheoryCraft, let's assume Pitts would have the same targets as Gesicki last year, more if Higgins departs and they treat Pitts as 2nd option.
If like Gesicki, Pitts would have around 50 or so receptions with his career catch %.
If more because Higgins was gone, probably closer to 60 receptions.

If Pitts had around 60 receptions at his career YPR, he'd be right about 800 yards receiving.
If closer to the targets Gesicki got last year, Pitts would be around 675 yards receiving, which would be right about what Gesicki had (665) but on fewer receptions.

If Pitts had about 800 yards, he would have been 5th among TEs this past season.

I think Pitts could be a solid 2nd option and a good 3rd option, however...
He's not going to be as good as Higgins, but you'd be saving ~$15-20 mill by going this budget route, which could go toward another position.
His $10 mill cap hit would very likely be greater than the APY cost of retaining Gesicki for a year or two, so if the usage is gonna be like Gesicki, you may wanna just retain Gesicki for (somewhat) cheaper.

In my eyes though, I'd love a scenario where Bengals actually had both Chase and Pitts and used them like Chiefs did Hill and Kelce a few years back when both were putting up 1200+ yards. I am not sure the Bengals would emphasize a TE that much, but they might since we did see the TE used more after Boyd departed. If Higgins also departed, TE may jump to 2nd option if the player is good enough to produce.

Kyle Pitts is a prime example of a team drafting a a high end scheme specific prospect without a plan.

(Yesterday, 10:46 PM)bfine32 Wrote: There could be a little wiggle room between Brock Bowers and Bust.

Perhaps Pitts falls into that tight crack

I mean, folks do tend to forget that Pitts was only the second rookie TE in NFL history to put up a thousand yards.  Since, he's been a 600+ yard guy, which is good for an NFL TE, but not Kellen Winslow Jr. type stuff like people expected.

It's an interesting idea.  When you look at what Zac's offense and Burrow have done for guys like Uzomah, Hurst, and Gesicki, the prospect of getting a guy with Pitts' talent in her is salivating.  However, the $10.8 mil price tag is gonna give pause, especially in a contract year, more than the draft pick.  

If we could work out an extension pre-trade, I'd be all for it, but if I'm Pitts and seeing what others have done here, I'm 100% betting on myself.  FT for a TE is relatively cheap, though, so there is insurance, there.

I'd ultimately be excited for it, but I would rather trade a '26 pick because we have some depth fills like RB, LB, and T we could address this year.  

(Yesterday, 10:46 PM)bfine32 Wrote: There could be a little wiggle room between Brock Bowers and Bust.

Perhaps Pitts falls into that tight crack

Tanner Hudson grades out significantly higher than Pitts, in a similar role as a WR/TE. Gesicki WAY higher. 

Hard no from me. We can pay BJ Hill with $10 mil  We could pay Hilton/Gesicki + Ossai. 

#4 overall pick! He's a unicorn! POTENTIAL!!!!

I have had Pitts on one of my fantasy teams every year since he's been in the league. By the end of the season he's on my bench in favor of some rando I've plucked off the waiver wire. But the following year, slow learner that I am, I just can't resist. Finally he has a different coach. Or QB. Or system. Or whatever. He's ready to explode! All that POTENTIAL is about to be realized.

I hope the Bengals are smarter than me and see that first he was overdrafted, now he's overpriced. After 4 years, what you see is what you get. Should be a very hard no.

(10 hours ago)Sled21 Wrote: I'd be open to trading a draft pick for Pitts if we didn' need so much help on defense and at OG. As it is, I'm a no on this idea.

I mean, if the pick is a 5th or 6th, how much help is a 5th or 6th rounder really gonna yield, especially within the first 1-2 years of their tenure?
The bigger thing is the added cost of Pitts, but do the Falcons incur the entire cost of his salary since they picked up the club option?
If they do and it's basically nothing cap-wise for Bengals, I 100% trade away a late round draft pick for 1 year of Pitts.

(7 hours ago)ochocincos Wrote: I mean, if the pick is a 5th or 6th, how much help is a 5th or 6th rounder really gonna yield, especially within the first 1-2 years of their tenure?
The bigger thing is the added cost of Pitts, but do the Falcons incur the entire cost of his salary since they picked up the club option?
If they do and it's basically nothing cap-wise for Bengals, I 100% trade away a late round draft pick for 1 year of Pitts.

The Falcons are projected to be at -$6.3M in terms of the cap, they're looking for a team to take the contract, which means if a charitable team offers them a 5th round pick they just might take it.

(7 hours ago)ochocincos Wrote: I mean, if the pick is a 5th or 6th, how much help is a 5th or 6th rounder really gonna yield, especially within the first 1-2 years of their tenure?
The bigger thing is the added cost of Pitts, but do the Falcons incur the entire cost of his salary since they picked up the club option?
If they do and it's basically nothing cap-wise for Bengals, I 100% trade away a late round draft pick for 1 year of Pitts.

No, It's the base salary that is fully guaranteed so if a team trades for him they are on the hook for the entire 10.8m (unless traded again mid-season).


Edit: Falcon's cannot cut him either. Plus side is 10m is about the average aav for a TE with Pitts' numbers.

(7 hours ago)Speedy Thomas Wrote: #4 overall pick! He's a unicorn! POTENTIAL!!!!

I have had Pitts on one of my fantasy teams every year since he's been in the league. By the end of the season he's on my bench in favor of some rando I've plucked off the waiver wire. But the following year, slow learner that I am, I just can't resist. Finally he has a different coach. Or QB. Or system. Or whatever. He's ready to explode! All that POTENTIAL is about to be realized.

I hope the Bengals are smarter than me and see that first he was overdrafted, now he's overpriced. After 4 years, what you see is what you get. Should be a very hard no.

Yeah. At a certain point explanations become excuses.

Hard no from me! We can sign Gesicki back for less $$$ than that and still hold onto our draft pick, and sign another role player for that same 10 million. I'm thinking we trade back in the 1st round this year to gain an additional 2nd or 3rd anyway, so I think we are going to value draft spots to address the trenches this year.

(8 hours ago)Isaac Curtis: The Real #85 Wrote: Tanner Hudson grades out significantly higher than Pitts, in a similar role as a WR/TE. Gesicki WAY higher. 

Hard no from me. We can pay BJ Hill with $10 mil  We could pay Hilton/Gesicki + Ossai. 

Perhaps just me, but I'll take Pitts over Hudson 

espn eh?

Not happening even if I would love to have Kyle Pitts on the Bengals as I think he has been used wrong his entire time on the Falcons.

If we could get Pitts here and use him like we do Gesicki he could blow up the league.

Could someone please take Brad's exclamation points away from him. Thx 

(4 hours ago)rfaulk34 Wrote: Could someone please take Brad's exclamation points away from him. Thx 

No!

(4 hours ago)bfine32 Wrote: Perhaps just me, but I'll take Pitts over Hudson 

But Hudson has great ball security...

Too soon, sorry.