OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) - Baltimore Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta dislocated his hip in practice Saturday and is expected to remain sidelined through the Sept. 5 regular season opener.
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-foot-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 San Francisco 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.