Tight end Dennis Pitta has a broken finger stemming from his practice fight with rookie linebacker Kamalei Correa on Aug. 1 and he will continue to miss time as the bone heals, Head Coach John Harbaugh announced Monday.
Pitta suffered the injury during the open practice at M&T Bank Stadium Aug. 1, and it was initially believed to be a strain. But further testing revealed he had a fracture, and he has not practiced since getting hurt.
"It's absurd that it even happened," Harbaugh said. "We need to get him back as soon as we can, but it's not going to be this week. A bone has to heal."
In addition to losing the veteran tight end for nearly all of training camp, there is also a concern with that the injury could linger once he does get back on the field.
"They're afraid that if he gets it hit again, they might need to put a screw in," Harbaugh said. "It's just that kind of a fracture."
The injury is a tough blow to Pitta, who is working to make a comeback after missing all of last season after his second major hip injury. Pitta practiced all offseason and was off to a strong start in training camp before getting hurt.
"It's ridiculous. It's sad and I'm disappointed about it," Harbaugh said. "But it was pointed out to me this morning when I was moaning in self-pity about Dennis Pitta's situation – maybe things happen for a reason. Maybe there's another injury that hasn't occurred because of that."
The 31-year-old tight end has played just seven games in the last three years, and the Ravens want him on the field to re-develop chemistry with quarterback Joe Flacco. Pitta looked like he might be in line for the starting job before getting hurt, and he'll have to quickly get back to playing at that level once he returns.
"I want to get him time to work with Joe but he really can't catch right now. And he definitely can't get his finger banged up," Harbaugh said. "The guy has played a lot of football. We have to get him and Joe timed up. That was really coming early on, which was exciting to see."
