Falcons training camp: Kyle Pitts ignores ‘rat poison,' Michael Penix Jr. expects big things

New York Times

24-07-2025

FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — It took one practice of the Atlanta Falcons' 2025 season for the Kyle Pitts Sr. storyline to bubble back up to the surface.
The fifth-year tight end was quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s favorite target in a brief session of 11-on-11 work to start training camp on Thursday morning, and the second-year quarterback wanted to make sure everybody noticed.
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'See we got KP the ball a lot today?' Penix said as he prepared to talk to the media after the practice. 'Gonna be a lot of that.'
That's what every Falcons fan keeps hoping, but it's been a while since it actually happened. In the three years since Pitts had 68 catches for 1,026 yards as a rookie, he has totaled 128 catches for 1,623 yards. The fourth pick of the 2021 draft was fifth on the team last season in catches with 47 for 602 yards.
'Everybody wants him to duplicate his rookie season,' coach Raheem Morris said. 'I think Kyle just has to go out there and be the best version of himself.'
Penix, who played golf with Pitts multiple times in the offseason, said he believes that will happen this year.
'He's been working hard. He's had a great summer,' the quarterback said. 'He said he's feeling really good coming into camp, and I can see it. He's running very good and catching the ball very good as well.'
MP 🔁 KP@themikepenix x @kylepitts__ pic.twitter.com/rFFtE1bP2a
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 24, 2025
Along with playing golf with Penix, Pitts' offseason consisted of swimming lessons with his young son, Kyle Pitts Jr., and studiously not paying attention to anything written about him in the media or on social media, he said Thursday.
'I don't read that rat poison,' he said. 'I don't get on Twitter and listen to the bots. Obviously, you're human, but I don't read into that. I learned that in college. I know who I am and I know the player I am, so I don't pay too much attention to it.'
Pitts declined to discuss the specifics of the injury that kept him off the field during OTAs in the spring but pronounced himself healthy. His practice plan will be 'modified' early in training camp to allow him to acclimate back to practice, Morris said, but Pitts appeared to be a full participant Thursday.
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'I'm feeling great,' he said. 'I was just working through different things (during OTAs).'
Pitts will be playing on the final year of his contract this season, making $10.9 million on a fifth-year extension triggered by the team. The 24-year-old said he hasn't started thinking about his second professional contract.
'We will figure that out at the end,' he said. 'This is the first day of camp.'
Here are five more observations from the Falcons' opening day of camp.
Right tackle Kaleb McGary also has a modified early practice plan after missing OTAs because of an offseason arthroscopic procedure to remove bone spurs from his ankle.
'I don't know if I've had a joint feel as good in a long time,' McGary said.
McGary was on the field Thursday but sat out some reps with the first team as the Falcons worked Storm Norton at right tackle as part of McGary's acclimation process. McGary, who has started 92 games in six seasons in Atlanta, is in the final year of his second contract with the team, making $16.5 million.
He's open to another contract with the Falcons 'anytime they want to pay me,' he said.
'You will never find somebody more willing to be paid in all your life, trust me,' he said, 'but honestly, I'm not really worried about it. If I don't do my job well enough, there's not much reason to worry about it. One thing at a time.'
Linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Morris said. The PUP list doesn't come with a defined time designation, so Andersen could be added back to the regular roster whenever his health allows.
'He is on track,' Morris said. 'He's doing really well. He's in great spirits.'
Andersen has been limited to nine games in the last two years because of injury.
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Penix isn't being shy about his expectations for the offense.
'The potential? We should be the best in the league,' he said Thursday. 'We should be unstoppable. That's our goal. We want to be No. 1 in all the categories on the offensive side of the ball.'
Last year, the Falcons finished 13th in scoring (22.9 ppg), eighth in yards per play (5.8) and ninth in offensive success rate (49 percent).
Running back Bijan Robinson has changed his mindset about preseason football, he said this week.
'I am very realistic,' he said. 'My first year, I was like, 'Playoffs,' now I know we have to focus on the little things first. This is the NFL. It can go either way.'
The Falcons haven't made the playoffs since the 2017 season.
'We have to actually do it. No more talk. Talk doesn't help anything,' Robinson said. 'If we just put our heads down and work hard, we have the pieces we need for a great season. Now it's time to come together so we can do it.'
.@Bijan5Robinson bringing the jukes ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/ZUBVeI3ByY
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) July 24, 2025
It was tough to get much of a read on the defensive depth chart Thursday as Atlanta juggled extensively on that side of the ball, but rookie defensive back Billy Bowman got plenty of work at nickel cornerback and Khalid Kareem got a somewhat surprising amount of work with the reserve edge rushers. Rookies Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr. also were on the field a lot, but Morris said it will be impossible to start defining roles on defense until after the team begins practicing in pads on Tuesday.
Penix, whose accuracy was an issue in his three starts last season, looked mostly sharp but not entirely. Penix threw a beautiful deep pass to Darnell Mooney on one pass but missed Ray-Ray McCloud high in the flat on another.
(Top photo of Michael Penix Jr.: Dale Zanine / Imagn Images)