News & Info/Headlines
According to NFL.com, Dennis Pitta's latest hip injury appears as though it'll be his last.
The tight end is expected to retire after suffering a dislocated hip during Ravens OTAs, the third he's suffered in his career, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported, according to a source informed of the diagnosis. Doctors are working to put the hip back in the socket, whether through manual manipulation or surgery, Garafolo added.
Pitta's injury was non-contact, according to the team.
"Dennis is one of the great Ravens, and he has done everything he can to make our team better," Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome said in a statement Friday.
The statement was released before the severity of Pitta's injury was known, but it already had an air of finality to it. Considering his medical history, it was fair to wonder if this would be it for him.
After missing most of the 2013 season, most of the 2014 season, and all of 2015, Pitta appeared in all 16 games a year ago, catching 86 passes for 729 yards and two touchdowns. For his career, Pitta has 2,098 yards receiving on 224 catches, 13 touchdowns, was named 2016 AFC Comeback Player of the Year, a Super Bowl XLVII ring and a repeated demonstration of a will that is nearly impossible to break.
As for the immediate future at tight end in Baltimore, the Ravens hope to have Benjamin Watson back from a torn Achilles -- although the veteran is not yet practicing -- to go with Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, Darren Waller and Crockett Gillmore.
It's a situation worth watching in coming weeks.