Tight end contains only a little intrigue for 2025, but larger questions loom.
Tight end is a straightforward position, at least in terms of summer training camp battles. The Atlanta Falcons have two starters they deploy quite often and will likely keep a third tight end, selecting from four players vying for that honor. As battles go, it’s set to be less than compelling.
But zooming out from the summer reveals more intrigue. Kyle Pitts is here on his fifth-year option, and has one final chance to reach his sky-high potential before the Falcons are tempted to move on. Charlie Woerner offers such sturdy blocking that the team may well be tempted to tear up the final year of his deal in 2026 and extend him, assuming he builds on a productive first season. And that third spot takes on more import when you think about the possibility of Pitts being gone and a young developmental option hanging around and looking for a chance to make a real impact past this season.
Let’s take a closer look.
Starters
Kyle Pitts, Charlie Woerner
It’s all expectations with Pitts. In his three full seasons, he’s been third, 11th, and 13th in receiving yards at the tight end position, making his production above average in every healthy year. But he was drafted fourth overall, has been closely scrutinized since, and found wanting for his pass catching, route running, effort, and so forth by fans and analysts alike. There’s a very real sense that there’s so much more here that Pitts has not been able to provide, and that’s fueling understandable speculation here and elsewhere that his time in Atlanta may be up soon.
In 2025, Pitts has a big-armed quarterback in Michael Penix who should allow him to eat on the downfield routes he prefers, and the work as a run blocker and in pass protection that he has put in should hopefully lead to at least modest improvements in those areas. If Penix and Pitts form an excellent rapport and the tight end turns out to be the kind of game-changing pass catcher with a new quarterback that the team envisioned back in 2021, the fact that he’s still so young makes him an obvious candidate to sign a long-term deal. If not, and we see the up-and-down play and inconsistent impact that has defined his career to this point, 2025 will be his last year as a Falcon.
Woerner played less than half of the offensive snaps, but I consider him a starter nonetheless. From Week 8 on, he played over 55% of snaps in six out of nine games, and his work as a blocker makes him vital to the effort. If he’s being targeted more than once every couple of weeks, something has gone awry with the larger offense, but the ability to pave the way for Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier is invaluable.
Reserves and roster hopefuls
Feleipe Franks, Teagan Quitoriano, Nikola Kalinic, Josh Simon
Franks is in the midst of a very funny career arc, going from converted quarterback to tight end in Atlanta with plenty of justified eye-rolling about Arthur Smith’s fervor for him despite a lack of impact and playing time. Then last year he wound up being a special teams contributor and much-improved blocker for the Panthers, which somehow led to an Atlanta reunion. The special teams work, blocking, and the little bit of upside he still possesses as a big, speedy target make him the favorite in this group to actually stick as the third tight end. If not, expect the practice squad.
Quitoriano is your traditional block-first third option, though Pro Football Focus has hated his pass blocking throughout his three year career and been more fond of his run blocking work. If the Falcons are leaning toward a third option who can block and catch a little, it’s likely between Quitoriano and Franks, with the former needing a very good summer to push his way past Franks.
If you’re looking for a pass-catching option as your third player (or for a practice squad spot), it’ll be between Kalinic and Simon. Kalinic has shown a little preseason promise as a pass catcher but has very little regular season playing time to speak of, meaning he’ll need to make his case with a strong camp. The only thing really working in his favor is that he was on the Rams at the same time as Zac Robinson and Raheem Morris in 2023, so they obviously saw something they were intrigued enough by to get him on board for 2025.
Simon is an undrafted free agent and thus a longshot for a roster spot, but he comes to the NFL with proven hands and red zone production and a quality final college seasons, and has intriguing potential as a pass catching tight end. With no locked-in third option, Simon does have a slim chance to impress and beat out the likes of Franks, Quitoriano, and Kalinic, but I’d pencil him in to the practice squad today.