Woerner received more offensive snaps than Pitts, reminiscent of 2024.
Pitts had a breakout 2025 season, in part because his playing time was much higher in 2025 than in other recent years. However, there started to be some concern in the preseason when Austin Hooper started taking some snaps from Pitts in 12 personnel. That worry continued during the first week of the regular season, as Pitts played only 12 of 22 snaps in 12 personnel, losing snaps to both Hooper and Nick Muse. He played 20 of 32 snaps in 11 personnel, which also wasn’t ideal. In this game, Pitts played a slightly higher rate in 12 personnel, taking six of nine snaps while the starters were still playing. However, in 11 personnel, his snaps fell to 11 of 23. While there was a general tendency of Pitts to be on the field for passing plays out of 11 personnel, and Woerner for run plays, Pitts was still restricted to 16 of 21 passing plays.
Similar to the final week of the preseason, Pitts is rotating out more than he was last season. Pitts broke out in 2025 with a much larger role, finishing fifth among tight ends in fantasy points per game. However, a new coaching staff added competition and quarterback uncertainty cloud his 2026 outlook. In the final week of the preseason, Austin Hooper took some time from Pitts in 12 personnel, for example. Pitts only played in 54.5% of 12 personnel snaps in this game after appearing on 89.4% of those snaps last season. Charlie Woerner played 100% of snaps, while Hooper and Nick Muse split the rest. Pitts played 85.7% of third-down snaps, which was a slight decrease from last season. He also played less in 11 personnel on early downs at 56%, a drop from 80.6% last season. That all added up to a 63.3% snap rate, which is very similar to where he was in 2023 and 2024. While Pitts was often off the field for run plays, the constant rotation still left him off the field for more pass plays than last season. The Falcons' quarterback situation is a concern for all of Atlanta’s receivers, but even if Atlanta has improvement under center at some point, it will still be difficult for Pitts to match last season's numbers if he’s not on the field as much.
Unlock full player intel
Go beyond the surface with trusted beat-writer insight on every player.
