With $4 million in guaranteed money coming his way this season whether he plays or not, it’s no surprise that the Ravens are giving tight end Dennis Pitta as much time as he needs to see if he can return from breaking and dislocating his hip for a second straight year.
Pitta opened up training camp on the physically unable to perform list, leaving him ineligible to practice with the team and he’ll remain ineligible to practice for the first six weeks of the regular season as well. Coach John Harbaugh said on Tuesday that Pitta will not be on the 53-man roster and the rules for the regular season version of the PUP list mandate a six-week stay before a player can return to practice.
Harbaugh said that the hope is that Pitta will be able to play by the middle of the season. Given the severity of Pitta’s injuries, it wouldn’t be a great shock if that didn’t happen nor would it be a great shock if Pitta’s days as an NFL player have to come to an end altogether.
Crockett Gilmore and second-round pick Maxx Williams are in line for playing time at tight end with Pitta still out of the picture.