Baltimore Ravens: Will Dennis Pitta Make the Team?
By Joe Serpico
Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta will make another attempt at a comeback from a devastating hip injury. However, his chances of making the team are not favorable.
Dennis Pitta is not giving up on his NFL dreams yet.
Doctors have given the Baltimore Ravens tight end clearance to play, and after consulting with his family, he will return on Monday for the beginning of the team’s offseason workouts.
Pitta has been out since Week 3 of the 2014 season when he fractured and dislocated his right hip for the second time. He suffered the injury the first time during training camp in 2013, but did return for the team’s final four games. In all, he has played in seven games in the past three seasons.
The Ravens and Pitta agreed to a restructured contract this morning that will cut his salary from $5 million to an undisclosed figure at this time. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun is reporting that “he will have an opportunity to make some of that money back with incentives.”
Where Pitta fits into the Ravens plans remains to be seen. Baltimore added Benjamin Watson in the offseason, and already have Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and Nick Boyle already on the roster. Boyle is facing a 10-game suspension to start the season, and the Ravens have announced that they will move Darren Waller to tight end as well.
The numbers do not add up in Pitta’s favor. Even if the Ravens decide to part ways with Boyle and Waller, they still have three quality tight ends in the mix. Gillmore is coming off offseason shoulder surgery, but will be ready for training camp. The Ravens presumably would like to enter the season with healthier options that Pitta.
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He returned to practice for three weeks last season and acknowledged that his hip was not holding up as well as he needed to play in the NFL. The Ravens left him on the physically unable to perform list all season, and one has to wonder if anything has changed in just a few months.
When Pitta was on the field, he was one of Joe Flacco‘s favorite weapons. He had 61 reception for 669 yards and seven touchdowns during the 2012 regular season, and added 14 catches for 163 yards and three touchdowns in the Ravens run to win Super Bowl XLVII.
In 50 career games, he has 138 receptions for 1,369 yards and 11 touchdowns. He ranks third in franchise history for receptions and yards by a tight end, behind Todd Heap and Shannon Sharpe.
Pitta still has a few obstacles to clear before making the team. First, he will have to show he is healthy enough that team doctors will allow him to take the field. Then, he will have to beat out the Ravens deep group of tight ends to stick around.
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John Harbaugh and the Ravens’ brass have nothing to lose by giving Pitta another shot to resume his career. It just seems unlikely that the team will give up on the healthy options for someone who has fractured and dislocated his hip twice in as many years.