Tight end Dennis Pitta has a tough decision to make on whether he should lace up his cleats for the Ravens in 2015.
After undergoing two hip surgeries in each of the last two seasons, the six-year veteran admitted he wasn’t quite ready to make that decision just yet.
“It’s still too early,” said Pitta on Saturday night during a charity event that benefited the Maryland Special Olympics.
“I’m just happy to be back here working with the guys,” responded Pitta in reference to the team completing its first week of their offseason program. “We will just take it one day at a time. We still have some time to assess where I’m at. It’s still early to make any decisions.”
The injury to Pitta, who has played in 50 career games since 2010, has left the Ravens with a question mark this offseason at the position of tight end. The organization has left it up to Dennis to decide whether or not he returns.
Could it be the Ravens and Pitta know more about his condition from his doctors than they are telling us?
Probably so.
After losing the only veteran of the tight end corps, Owen Daniels, to free agency, it’s hard to imagine that the team would rely solely on second year player Crockett Gillmore as the primary tight end for a full season, particularly in a tight end friendly offense.
Even though Gillmore held his own last year with both Pitta and Daniels missing time with injury, it would certainly not be a knock on the rookie if they brought in other options. What does raise an eyebrow is that the organization has yet to sign another options besides Gillmore.
Might the team think that Pitta will be returning at some point in 2015? How they have handled the roster points in that direction.
The Ravens could still place the veteran tight end on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) to start the season. If Dennis is unable to make a decision before Week 1, they can keep him on the list for up to 11 weeks to let him feel out his injury.
“I sure hope I’ll be on the field next year,” said Dennis. “That’s my hope and my goal. We’ll see if we can get there.”
With the NFL draft quickly approaching, the Ravens could spend one of their 10 draft picks on a tight end and it’s all but guaranteed Ozzie Newsome will be keeping a watchful eye on other teams’ camp casualties as a safety net in case Pitta decides to hang his cleats up in 2015.
Whatever direction Pitta and the Ravens decide to take certainly has its risk. Thankfully, the season doesn’t start for a few more months.
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