Ravens’ bad luck in OTAs continues with hip injury to Dennis Pitta

Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta injured his hip in practice, team general manager Ozzie Newsome announced in a statement Friday.

Pitta, 31, has a history of serious hip injuries, beginning with a dislocated and fractured hip in 2013 that cost him all but four games. He suffered the same injury again in Week 3 of the 2014 season, keeping him out of the rest of the year and all of 2015.

The tight end returned amid chatter of possible retirement to play all 16 games in 2016 and rack up 86 receptions for 729 yards with two touchdowns. But the hip injury suffered Friday could derail Pitta’s career once again:

According to the Ravens, the injury was suffered without contact. Pitta stretched to make a catch, went to the turf, but couldn’t put weight on his leg when he attempted to stand back up. While the team hasn’t revealed the severity of the injury yet, the reaction from reporters and teammates has been solemn:

“I am not getting as many questions about my hip,” Pitta said just last week, via BaltimoreRavens.com. “I feel good. I got to have a full offseason of just normal preparation. It feels good – feeling healthy.”

Losing Pitta is a terrible end to an already bad week for the Ravens, after the team lost cornerback Tavon Young to a torn ACL on Thursday. Wide receiver Michael Campanaro, defensive lineman Carl Davis, and cornerback Sheldon Price are also dealing with injuries suffered during OTAs.

The Ravens signed tight end Benjamin Watson to a two-year deal in 2016 but lost him last year to a torn Achilles in preseason. If Baltimore is without Pitta, the team will have to turn to Watson, Crockett Gillmore, and Maxx Williams to step up at tight end.