The Ravens' final restricted free agent has signed his tender.
Tight end Ed Dickson inked his original third-round tender worth $1.323 million Friday afternoon, guaranteeing he'll be in Baltimore this season.
"It's just the business aspect of the game," he said. "You get that out of the way and you can focus on building for another championship. Joe [Flacco's] young, I'm young and Dennis [Pitta] is young. We want to be here long-term."
Dickson is looking to have a bounce back year after seeing a drop in his reception totals last year.
He caught a career-high 54 passes for 528 yards and five touchdowns in 2011. He followed that up with 21 receptions for 225 yards and no touchdowns last year. Dickson started 11 games, however, and was relied upon for his blocking skills.
Dickson started to emerge as more of a receiver late in the season and in the playoffs. He caught six passes for 64 yards in Week 17 against Cincinnati, then caught six more passes for 90 yards in four playoff games. He hauled in a tough 23-yard snag that led to a touchdown in Super Bowl XLVII.
With the trade of Anquan Boldin to San Francisco, the Ravens could use more two tight end formations this year. Dennis Pitta could be used more as a wide receiver, which could open up more pass-catching opportunities for Dickson.
