Ravens TE Dennis Pitta is expected to be out for the year with a dislocated hip, per ESPN source.

This is terrible news for Pitta, his owners and the Ravens organization. Ed Dickson will step in as the starter and will be an interesting TE2-type. Joe Flacco obviously takes a big hit after losing Anquan Boldin in the offseason.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco looked like the accomplished veteran he has become, very much in command. And there’s no doubt his favorite target is tight end Dennis Pitta.

Pitching the ball to Pitta almost seems to be Flacco’s default mode now. The two are best friends off the field and have a keen rapport on it. You can’t manufacture that, but it would be nice to see Flacco develop the same caliber of rapport with another downfield target.

Another news item we had earlier this week said TE Ed Dickson was also seeing a lot of looks in camp. The Ravens will need someone to step up with the loss of WR Anquan Boldin, and it's expected the tight ends will see more work. We have Pitta ranked 6th among TEs, and with an ADP of the 9th round, that's a great bargain. Dickson is ranked just 45th, so we still expect Pitta to be the main target at that position.

Ravens trade Anquan Boldin to 49ers for a sixth-round pick.

He's 32, slowing down and has trouble separating, but what Boldin did down the stretch and in the playoffs should not be overlooked. In the 10 games from Week 11 through the Super Bowl, Boldin averaged 4.7-75-.70 which project to #6 WR numbers, and that included a goose egg against the Broncos in Week 15. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in savvy and ball skills. He'll start opposite Michael Crabtree and should have similar value (WR3-ish) as last year. As for Crabtree, this probably means a bit of a drop in targets unless the 49ers let Colin Kaepernick throw the ball more. In Baltimore, this leaves a hole in the starting lineup, but it should lead to more consistent targets for Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta. This is a downgrade for Joe Flacco, who loses a key weapon in his arsenal. Conversely, there's even more reason to like Kaepernick in 2013.

A source told FOXSports.com that the Ravens want wide receiver Anquan Boldin to renegotiate the $6 million base salary he is set to earn in 2013. Otherwise, Boldin will be released before Tuesday’s start of the free-agent signing period.

Boldin was one of quarterback Joe Flacco’s favorite targets during the postseason, especially in third-down situations. Boldin caught six passes for 104 yards and one touchdown in Baltimore’s 34-31 championship victory over San Francisco.

He's 32, slowing down and has trouble separating, but what Boldin did down the stretch and in the playoffs should not be overlooked. In the 10 games from Week 11 through the Super Bowl, Boldin averaged 4.7-75-.70 which project to #6 WR numbers, and that included a goose egg against the Broncos in Week 15. What he lacks in speed he makes up for in savvy and ball skills. In early 2013 mock drafts, Boldin has been available in the final rounds.

Again, Super Bowl MVP Joe Flacco has agreed to terms on a new deal with the Ravens. He will sign it Monday. Waiting on terms.

This is good news for the Ravens offense, particularly the receiving corps (Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin and Dennis Pitta).

The NFL is a league built on adjustments, and defenses appear to be game-planning to account for tight end Dennis Pitta following his fast start this season. Pitta caught 18 passes for 188 yards and two touchdowns in the first two games and has 30 receptions for 276 yards overall, emerging as one of quarterback Joe Flacco's most frequent targets.

Over the past four games, though, Pitta has generated only a dozen catches for 88 yards and no scores and was shut out against the Browns on Sept. 27. HC John Harbaugh acknowledged that teams may have shifted their schemes to try to slow down Pitta, but emphasized there's more nuance to what's happening on the field.

"It’s probably some of that," Harbaugh said. "To me, it’s a product of everything across the board. Typically, you say, ‘OK, this guy’s not involved. That guy’s not involved.’ It’s something you can take a look at, but when you start breaking it down and you start studying it, what you really find out is it’s more a product of us executing."

Ravens TE Dennis Pitta was targeted a team-high 15 times in Sunday’s 24-23 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles and he is now listed ahead of fellow third-year tight end Ed Dickson on the team’s official depth chart. But in that game, Pitta, who got 51 offensive snaps, lined up as a wide receiver or slot receiver more than two-thirds of the time.

Pitta lined up next to an offensive tackle as a traditional tight end on 15 plays and was not targeted once by Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco on any of the plays as he was often run-blocking on either the left or right edge. He lined up as a wide receiver on four plays, and Flacco threw his way on three of them, including two quick completions while Pitta ran slant routes against a safety. Pitta also lined up in the backfield on one play.

But usually, Pitta was lined up in the slot, where he did most of his damage in a game where he led the team with eight catches and with 65 receiving yards. He was targeted eight times on the 16 plays in which he lined up as a slot receiver to Flacco’s left and four times on the 15 plays where he was in the slot to Flacco’s right -- including a third-quarter interception when Flacco tried to squeeze a pass between three Eagles defenders.

Ravens RB Ray Rice on QB Joe Flacco: “In pecking order, this is Joe’s offense, then everybody else. And he’s proven that this preseason with how he’s played, his tempo, how vocal he is, and the quiet Joe phase I think is pretty much over. He’s been outspoken – and I guess you guys get to see it more going into Year 5 – but for me and him, we came in together, and I think he’s going to prove to everybody why he’s a top quarterback in the league. And going into this game, I’m confident, he’s confident. I just can’t wait to get out there with the guys so we can go out there and show guys what he’s really capable of doing.”

From the offseason minicamps to training camp to the preseason, Ravens WR Torrey Smith is looking more like the Ravens' No. 1 wide receiver this season, a title owned by Anquan Boldin for the past two seasons. Smith is running routes more smoothly this year and catching the ball with more confidence.

"He's sure of himself," quarterback Joe Flacco said. "When you don't what to worry about a simple thing as where to line up, you're able to focus a lot more energy on more important things. He can relax and play. He can be who he is. That's what is exciting."

Since 1952 only 21 rookie wide receivers have posted at least 50 catches for 841 yards and 7 touchdowns, which is what Smith racked up in his first season. We are bullish on Smith in 2012. He makes a nice WR2/WR3 in the 6th or 7th round.

Ravens QB Joe Flacco looked terrific in training camp, the best he’s ever looked. And he’s been great in the Ravens’ first three preseason games (43-of-60 passing for 433 yards and three touchdowns.)