Ravens TE Dennis Pitta has hip surgery, could miss season

Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta will miss the Sept. 5 opener and probably much longer after suffering a dislocated hip in practice on Saturday and undergoing surgery.

Pitta had surgery hours after suffering the injury, according to a person familiar with the injury, who added there was no news yet on a timetable for his return. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because injury details were to remain private.

ESPN reported Pitta, who signed a one-year restricted free agent tender worth $2.023 million on May 13, is expected to miss the season.

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The injury occurred when Pitta collided with safety James Ihedigbo in the back of the end zone vying for a pass from Joe Flacco. Pitta lay prone for several minutes before being carted off the field.

"Dennis has a dislocated hip. We'll have to take a look at that and see exactly what it is," coach John Harbaugh said after practice. "It's a serious injury. He is going to be out for a while. He will not be in the Denver game, and we'll just have to play it from there to see how long it goes."

The Super Bowl champions begin defense of their title on the road against the Broncos on Sept. 5.

Pitta was preparing for his fourth season with Baltimore. The 6-4, 245-pounder caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns last season.

In the playoffs, Pitta had 14 catches for 163 yards and three scores.

With Pitta gone, the Ravens are without their two of their most productive receivers last year. Pitta's 61 catches were tied for second with Ray Rice behind Anquan Boldin, who was traded to the San Francisco 49ers during the offseason.

"Obviously, he was a very, very productive guy for us," Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell said of Pitta. "He made a lot of big plays last year. We'll see what happens. But somebody is going to have to step up. We do have some capable guys all across the flanks. We do have some weapons. We're just going to have to have some guys make some plays for us."

In his first three NFL seasons, Pitta has 102 receptions for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns over 43 regular-season games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College.  Charles LeClaire, USA TODAY Sports

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