The Baltimore Ravens have been through some wholesale changes since winning the Super Bowl against the San Francisco 49ers earlier this year and after losing a number of players to free agency and retirement, another is gone as Dennis Pitta was lost to a hip injury for the rest of the season.

In response, the team signed tight end Visanthe Shiancoe to a one-year contract to help with the loss and they were also possibly linked to Dallas Clark, who is also a free agent tight end. Head coach John Harbaugh announced that Pitta would be out over the weekend and said that it was too severe to come back from this season and now they have added Shiancoe to the mix. Shiancoe has been in the league for 10 years and joins a roster that also includes Ed Dixon and now he will be in on a minimum contract.

Clark looked like an option after playing for the Buccaneers and Ravens offensive coordinator Jim Caldwell when they were both with the Indianapolis Colts, but the team likely didn't see him as a viable option after dealing with some injuries. Clark made 47 catches for 435 yards and four scores for the Bucs and he still remains a free agent and now Shiancoe comes in after making zero catches in four games with the Patriots last season and that team is dealing with its own tight end problems right now with Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski.

Dixon will be the starter and Shiancoe adds depth ahead of Billy Bajema, undrafted rookie Matt Furstenburg and former practice squad player Alex Silvestro, who all will be competeing for the starting job.

Pitta sent a message from his Facebook page: "Asking for prayers for a speedy recovery and heal time as I go through this ordeal. Ravens will always be Ravens and if it turns out that I am out for the season I have confidence for other teammates to step up and do their part. Keep the faith!"