Untapped Tight End on the Trade Block Could Boost the Chargers
Having a productive tight end that can be useful for your quarterback is essential in today’s game. Tom Brady had Rob Gronkowski during his success to win Super Bowls. Also, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have dominated the league for the last several years. The Los Angeles Chargers were able to witness this recipe with Philip Rivers and soon-to-be Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. Since drafting Justin Herbert, the team has not had that elite tight end to pair their star quarterback with. It has been a revolving cycle at the position for the last several years. However, there might be a young untapped star on the trade market that can seriously help the Chargers now and in the future.
Kyle Pitts of the Atlanta Falcons is rumored to be on the trade block. Pitts was a top draft prospect back in 2021. In his rookie year, he exploded onto the season with 1,026 yards and a touchdown. However, in the years after he has struggled to produce. The most yards Pitts has gathered since his rookie year is only 667. The Falcons have had multiple changes at quarterback over the years and it has hurt Pitts's stats.
He is only 24 years old and in the right situation could blossom. The Charger's current tight end room is made up of Tyler Conklin, Will Dissly, and rookie Oronde Gadsden II. Conklin is only on a one-year deal so acquiring Pitts to pair with Herbert for the future can still be a possibility. The asking price for the Falcons might be a bit rich for teams and the Chargers to pay for Pitts. The Falcons are rumored to be perfectly fine with keeping the tight end but would listen to offers that start with at least a day-two pick. Currently, the Bolts have both of their day two picks so they can certainly make an offer to the Falcons. The big piece after the trade is awarding Pitts a contract as he is entering the last year of his deal.
The rumors of Pitts getting traded all started because he missed the first day of the voluntary practice portion of OTAs. The Falcons have publicly made it known that they are in no rush to strike a deal for Pitts. So the situation is worth monitoring, especially if Pitts misses the mandatory minicamp. Joe Hortiz would be very wise to at least inquire about Pitts's availability since a great tight end can elevate Herbert and the offense
