A source predicted to the Baltimore Sun that the Ravens will franchise tag free agent Dennis Pitta if the sides don't reach a long-term contract agreement before the March 3 deadline.

March 3 is the deadline for teams to apply franchise and transition tags. The Ravens aren't going to let Pitta walk, and will tag him if that's what it comes to. The Sun reported earlier this week that the sides are "far apart" in contract talks. The tight end tag is worth a reasonable $6.709 million, but Pitta is expected to file a grievance if tagged, arguing he's a wide receiver.

The Baltimore Sun reports the Ravens and free agent Dennis Pitta are "far apart" in ongoing contract talks.

Unless the gap is bridged between now an March 3, the deadline for teams to use the franchise tag, Pitts is expected to be tagged. If Pitta is franchised, he's expected to file a grievance arguing that he should be paid as a receiver. Either way, Pitta is expected to be with the Ravens for the 2014 season at the very least.

The Baltimore Sun suggests free agent Dennis Pitta could argue he's a wide receiver if franchise tagged as a tight end by the Ravens.

Per Pro Football Focus, Pitta ran 79.7 percent of his 2013 pass routes in the slot, the highest percentage in the league. The tight end tag is worth $6.7 million, while the receiver tag is $11.5 million. The two-week window for teams to slap franchise tags begins on Monday. In an ideal world, the Ravens could avoid this potential dispute by signing Pitta long term. A source tells the Sun, however, that the sides "haven't made substantial progress in contract talks."

New Ravens OC Gary Kubiak said he was "very impressed" with free agent Dennis Pitta when studying him.

New Ravens OC Scott Linehan told reporters at his introductory press conference that he expects free agent Dennis Pitta to "be a big part of the offense" in 2014.

In other words, Kubiak and GM Ozzie Newsome discussed Pitta's status before Kubiak was hired, and Newsome likely assured him Pitta would be re-signed. Pitta's loss proved a crushing blow to Baltimore's 2013 offense, which couldn't sustain drives with a pathetic run game and only deep threat receivers outside. Now healthy, Pitta will have a chance to lead the 2014 Ravens in catches.

The Baltimore Sun suggests the Ravens could use the franchise tag on impending free agent Dennis Pitta.

GM Ozzie Newsome made it clear on Wednesday that re-signing Pitta will be a top priority this offseason. And Pitta, who is best friends with Joe Flacco, has made it known that his preference is to return to Baltimore. But if the two sides can't reach an agreement by the time free agency opens in March, using the approximate $6.7 million tag for tight ends could buy some time. The offense desperately missed Pitta's crisp, intermediate skill set this season as he sat out the first 12 games due to a hip dislocation. He would've easily led the Ravens in catches if he had stayed healthy.

Dennis Pitta caught eight passes for 63 yards in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Pitta was targeted a team-high 11 times and played considerably more snaps than he had been getting since his Week 14 return. It was just a success for Pitta to play the final month of the season after needing hip surgery in the summer. Many thought he would miss the entire season. Instead, Pitta played in four games and caught 20 passes for 169 yards and one touchdown. He'll be a free agent in March. Joe Flacco will be pounding the table for the Ravens to re-sign his safety blanket over the middle. Pitta will probably be seeking $7 million annually on a new deal after proving he's healthy.

Dennis Pitta blames game flow for his two-catch Week 15.

"Part of that game when I was out there, we saw some bracket coverage, things where opportunities are going to be minimal in those situations," Pitta said. Pitta admits that his legs aren't yet 100 percent underneath him, but believes he's "getting more comfortable and I do feel progress every week." We expect Pitta to have a nice game against a Patriots defense with some of the worst coverage linebackers in the league.

Dennis Pitta played on 30-of-66 snaps (45.4 percent) in Monday night's win over the Lions.

It's nearly identical usage to Week 14, when Pitta played on 36-of-85 (42.3 percent) of the snaps. The difference this time was that he saw just four targets as Joe Flacco attempted 38 passes (he attempted 50 the week before). Pitta is sustaining health and running routes on the majority of his snaps, so the upside here remains. He'll be a borderline TE1 against the Patriots in Week 16.

Dennis Pitta caught two passes for 24 yards in Week 15 at Detroit.

Pitta was targeted just four times in a disappointing effort. The Ravens were never really close to the end zone, and Pitta didn't play all of the snaps. Pitta was overthrown by Joe Flacco on the two misfires. Fellow tight end Ed Dickson caught all three of his targets. Pitta will be back on the TE1 radar next week against the Patriots. New England's linebackers can't cover.

Joe Flacco acknowledged after Sunday's win over Minnesota that having Dennis Pitta back "means a lot" for Baltimore's passing attack.

Flacco has completed 75 percent of his red-zone passes to Pitta the past two seasons. He's at 44.6 percent to all other Ravens. "Obviously, he's going to get better and better as the weeks go on," Flacco said. "He's a huge player for us. He knows how to get open, he knows how to run routes, and he catches the football. He means a lot." Pitta will be a TE1 in Week 15 at Detroit.

Dennis Pitta played on 36-of-85 snaps (42.3 percent) in Sunday's win over the Vikings.

So much for easing Pitta back in slowly. Making his 2013 debut off a hip dislocation and subsequent surgery, the pass-catching tight end racked up a 6/48/1 line while tying for the team lead with 11 targets. It's the kind of performance we can expect on a weekly basis from Pitta as the Ravens are absolutely starved for an underneath complement to outside receivers Torrey Smith/Jacoby Jones. Pitta's snaps figure to rise going forward and he'll have TE1 viability against the Lions in Week 15.

Making his 2013 debut, Dennis Pitta (hip) caught six passes for 48 yards and a touchdown in Baltimore's Week 14 win over the Vikings.

Pitta was supposed to be on a snap count, but was on the field for all of the Ravens' most important plays, tying Marlon Brown for a team-leading 11 targets. No play was more important than Baltimore's 4th-and-1 from the Vikings' one-yard line with just over two minutes remaining, as Pitta shook S Andrew Sendejo for a diving, contested touchdown. Pitta looked all the way back, even bouncing right back up after landing directly on his hip on his first catch. He'll most definitely be worth TE1 consideration in Week 15 against the Lions.

FOX Sports' Mike Garafolo reports Dennis Pitta (hip) "won't be a full go but will play some" Sunday against the Vikings.

The good news is Pitta is coming back -- he was activated from short-term I.R. on Saturday. The bad news is he won't be a TE1 option in the first round of fantasy playoffs. He certainly could be one in Weeks 15 or 16, however, as the Ravens have tight end-friendly matchups against Detroit and New England the rest of the way. At this point Pitta should be owned in most fantasy leagues.

Ravens activated TE Dennis Pitta from the injured reserve/designated for return.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh said Friday there's a "reasonable" chance Dennis Pitta (hip surgery) plays in Week 14 against Minnesota.

Although Pitta would be limited and not a Week 14 fantasy option, his role could grow enough for Week 15 start-ability if he played well. With very little running game and a receiver corps largely consisting of deep threats, the Ravens' offense has had no sustaining element this season. When healthy, Pitta can bring that. Tight end-desperate fantasy owners should grab him now.

Coach John Harbaugh said he's hopeful Dennis Pitta (hip surgery) can play in Sunday's game against the Vikings.

Pitta was in New York on Tuesday, presumably to get one final checkup on his hip before he returns to practice. We'll know if he has a realistic shot at making his 2013 debut this week as practice moves along. Even if Pitta is active, he'd be impossible to trust as a fantasy play considering the serious nature of his injury and how long he's been out. He'd almost certainly be on a snap count. Pitta remains a mere desperation stash in re-draft formats.

Coach John Harbaugh said a decision on whether to activate Dennis Pitta (hip) from short-term injured reserve in time to play in Week 14 against the Vikings will "probably come down to the end of the week."

The Ravens have until December 11 to decide whether to activate Pitta or send him to season-ending injured reserve. "We'll go through this week and see how he does," Harbaugh said. ... We want to get him up. That's our goal. ... I've got a pretty good idea that he's doing well. It's just a matter of how well." Pitta has been practicing with the team since November 20. It'd be a minor surprise if he wasn't activated by this Saturday, in time for Sunday.

Dennis Pitta (hip, short-term I.R.) participated in the Ravens' Monday walkthrough.

The Ravens are getting set to face Pittsburgh on Thanksgiving's finale game. Pitta is increasing his practice reps, but is not considered a candidate to play in a game before Week 14. He's worth stashing as an injured TE2.

The Baltimore Sun reports the "hope, for now" is for the Ravens to get back Dennis Pitta (hip, short-term I.R.) in Week 14 against the Vikings.

Per beat writer Aaron Wilson, Pitta "looked fairly sharp running routes and catching passes" during the practice week, and the Ravens publicly wouldn't rule him out to play Sunday against the Jets. He wasn't activated to the 53-man roster, however, and is ineligible to play. He also isn't due back for Thursday night's game against the Steelers. Tight end-needy fantasy owners should look into picking up Pitta now. He'd likely be on a snap count in the Week 14 game, but could be a fantasy asset in Weeks 15-16.