When tight end Dennis Pitta went down with a dislocated hip during the first week of training camp, the Ravens thought the tight end was done for the year.
But now it looks like there's a chance Pitta could return at some point during the 2013 season.
The Ravens haven't put Pitta on injured reserve yet because they want to see how he recovers from the injury before they officially end his season.
"We'll put him on IR when we're certain that he's out for the year," Head Coach John Harbaugh said Tuesday.
Pitta suffered a dislocated and fractured hip, a rare injury on the football field. The good news, however, was that he didn't have any ligament or cartilage damage and should be able to make a full recovery.
Once the Ravens took a look at his test results, they decided to give him a little time before closing the door on a return.
"We know it's a serious injury, but when it came back that there was no ligament and cartilage damage, that maybe gave us some hope," Harbaugh said. "So we're going to wait and see how that bone heals for the first five weeks since the injury and see where we're at."
Pitta could be a candidate for the Injured Reserve – Designated For Return tag, which the Ravens used last season on linebacker Ray Lewis. Lewis missed the final 10 games of the regular season, but returned in time for the run to the Super Bowl.
By going on the special designation IR, Pitta could be eligible to return to the field after the first six weeks of the regular season. Each team is allowed to use the special designation on one player a year.
The Ravens would not have to make a call on Pitta until the final cut-down day to the 53-man roster, which is on Aug. 31.
