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Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Pitts and Super Bowl champion RB would fix Cowboys red-zone woes

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 9/26/23

No team was more lethal in the red zone last season than the Dallas Cowboys, who scored touchdowns on all but 16 of their red-zone opportunities (71.43%).

Three weeks into 2023, that narrative has flipped.

With a new play-caller in head coach Mike McCarthy, Dallas has scored a touchdown on just 40% of their red-zone visits this season, tied with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets for the fourth-lowest rate in the NFL.

Here are two potential targets for the Cowboys to help shore up their red-zone offense:

Leonard Fournette, RB, free agent

Tony Pollard has mostly picked up where he left off a year ago, ranking fifth in the NFL with 264 rushing this season. However, the Cowboys still lack a short-yardage touchdown specialist to complement Pollard.

Only Jamaal Williams scored more rushing touchdowns (16) inside the 20-yard line than Ezekiel Elliott scored (12) for the Cowboys last season. Leonard Fournette is a 6-foot, 228-pound bruiser who could fill the Zeke role in Dallas.

Everyone who dogged Zeke should apologize because the Cowboys miss his 12 redzone rushing TDs that helped them be the #1 Redzone O in the NFL last year. With or without the lineman that were out this week they have been bad going 3 for 11 for TDs in the red zone the last 2 weeks… pic.twitter.com/qjTq9kbi6L
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 26, 2023

Hobbled by injury in 2022, Fournette scored all eight of his rushing touchdowns in 2021 from within the 10-yard line (tied for seventh-most in the NFL.) He's also averaged 1,228.5 yards from scrimmage over the past two seasons, making him a high-end RB2 option behind Pollard.

Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

Do two wrongs make a right? That's the question when theorizing about adding Kyle Pitts' three career touchdowns to one of the league's worst red-zone offenses.

Despite a lackluster resume, Pitts passes the eye test as a potential red-zone weapon, possessing blue-chip athleticism and a 6-foot-6-inch, 246-pound frame.

Similar to Dallas failing to replace Elliott, the Cowboys are clearly missing tight end Dalton Schultz, who signed with the Houston Texans this offseason. Of Schultz's 13 touchdowns since 2021, 11 came in the red zone. Cowboys tight ends have combined for two touchdowns on 11 red-zone targets this season.

On Tuesday, NFL Network's Jane Slater reported that the Falcons have zero interest in trading Pitts. However, the door could open if Atlanta continues to under-utilize the tight end in their Desmond Ridder-led aerial attack.

The Cowboys are always looking to bolster their offense, so when I heard a show say Dallas should call Atlanta to see if Kyle Pitts is available, I checked into it.
A source with the Falcons’ answer when I asked “LOL. No way.”
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) September 26, 2023