Tyreek Hill comes to Kyle Pitts’ defense after video of his struggles vs. Jacksonville Jaguars goes viral

Tyreek Hill is coming to the defense of Kyle Pitts, with the Miami Dolphins star wide receiver questioning the need to show lowlights of the struggling Atlanta Falcons tight end.

Hill was responding to a video posted to social media showing Pitts at times slipping and falling while running routes against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Falcons’ game in London last Sunday.

The third-year player made just two catches for 21 yards in a 23-7 loss. It was his third game this season with only two receptions, and he has a total of 11 catches in four games.

Pitts was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the highest-ever selection for a tight end in history. Since bursting onto the scene with 68 catches for 1,026 yards as a rookie, he has just 39 catches for 477 yards in 14 combined games in two seasons.

The statistical drop-off has made the 23-year-old the subject of some harsh criticism from fans, but as Hill points out, there may be other reasons for the decline as well. Atlanta has had subpar quarterback play the past two seasons, and under head coach Arthur Smith, the Falcons are one of the more run-oriented teams in the NFL.

There is no former on-field connection between Hill and Pitts, who have never been teammates nor did they attend the same college. The Dolphins and Falcons did play in the preseason this year, and the 29-year-old standout may just be reaching out to show support for a young player in the league.

Things are going much better for Hill, who despite a down game last week in the Dolphins’ 48-20 loss to the Buffalo Bills, is on pace to threaten his goal of becoming the first NFL player to gain 2,000 receiving yards in a season.

He has 28 catches for 470 receiving yards in Miami’s four games so far, a 17-game pace of 119 catches for 1,997.5 receiving yards.

Hill remains confident in the Dolphins, who will try to rebound from their first loss of the season when they host the New York Giants on Sunday. Pitts will be looking to make more of an impact when the Falcons host the Houston Texans, knowing that he has Hill in his corner.