Getty Parker Hesse #46 of the Atlanta Falcons.
The Atlanta Falcons made several moves this week, including activating six key players from the COVID list.
However, the most notable move the team made was signing tight-end Parker Hesse to the active roster ahead of Sunday’s season finale vs. the New Orleans Saints, per Josh Kendall of The Athletic.
The Falcons activated DL Marlon Davidson, S Jaylinn Hawkins, TE Hayden Hurst, OLB James Vaughters, WR Tajae Sharpe and OL Willie Beavers from the reserve/COVID-19 list.
They also signed TE Parker Hesse, the former Iowa DE who had three catches Sunday, to the active roster.
The decision comes after Hesse had a solid performance against the Buffalo Bills where he
and Matt Ryan connected three times for a total of 31 receiving yards. It also could mean that rookie star tight end Kyle Pitts is questionable for Sunday with a hamstring injury.
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Hesse’s Impressive College Career
Hesse—6-foot-3 and 261 pounds–entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2019 after signing with the Tennesee Titans.
Prior to joining the league, Hesse was a linebacker at the University of Iowa and converted to defensive end during his first year as a Hawkeye. Over the course of his college playing career (2015-19) he appeared in 52 games and was responsible for 182 total tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and two interceptions.
He was best known for his positive attitude, being a tireless worker as well as a team player. That helps explain the many awards he earned as a Hawkeye. In 2018, he won the Big Ten Conference Sportsmanship Award, the school’s Hayden Fry Award (defense), the Coaches Appreciation Award (defense), the Iron Hawk Award and the Team Hustle Award (defense)––an award of which he won for three straight seasons.
Before coming to Atlanta, Hesse spent two seasons on the Titans practice squad when Falcons’ head coach Arthur Smith was still Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and Hesse had made the switch to tight end.
At just 26 years old, Hesse still has a lot to learn at the position but he feels confident in himself.
“I love playing the position,” Hesse said via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “I’ve just been very fortunate that I’ve had people that have believed in me and my potential along the way because certainly when I started, it didn’t look great all the time… there are a lot of things that I have to improve on that I am just learning every day. Fortunately for me, throughout my young career so far, I’ve had those people that believed in me. That just gives you confidence to go out and say, ‘If they believe I can do it, there’s no reason I can’t.'”
Kyle Pitts Returned to Thursday’s Practice
Pitts returned to Falcons’ practice on Thursday, according to Josh Kendall of The Athletic once again.
The rookie TE is confident that he will be ready to go by Sunday and said, “My biggest priority now is to beat the Saints because it’s the last game and they’re a divisional opponent and it’s the Saints.”
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts (hamstring) said he believes he’ll play Sunday. Needs 50 yards to set the NFL’s record for rookie tight end receiving yard.
“My biggest priority now is to beat the Saints because it’s the last game and they’re a divisional opponent and it’s the Saints.”
Pitts, who injured his hamstring against the Bills and played just 52% of offensive snaps, is on track to breaking another NFL record if he can play vs. New Orleans. All he needs is 50 yards to become the league’s all-time leader in rookie TE receiving yards.
After a 61-yard catch against Buffalo, Pitts now holds the Falcons receiving record for a rookie with 1,018 yards, but we’ll see if he can set a new benchmark across the league on Sunday.
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