With free agency set to open Tuesday afternoon, the Ravens have extended tenders to some of their restricted free agents.
Tight end Dennis Pitta received a second-round tender worth $2.023 million, according to The Baltimore Sun.
The Ravens extended an original-round tender to fellow tight end Ed Dickson, worth $1.323 million. Dickson was a third-round pick and Pitta was a fourth-round pick in the 2010 draft.
Defensive lineman Arthur Jones was also given a second-round tender offer.
By assigning tenders to the restricted free agents, the Ravens are keeping them from hitting the open market. Another team could still make a push to sign one of the players by giving the Ravens a draft pick that corresponds with the tender, and then extending a contract offer that the Ravens do not match.
Extending the tender offers will likely allow the Ravens to keep three of their young core players.
Pitta is coming off the best season of his career where he caught 61 passes for 669 yards and seven touchdowns in the regular season, and then added 163 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the playoffs.
Over the last two seasons, Pitta has emerged as one of quarterback Joe Flacco's favorite and most reliable targets. He's also a versatile player who can operate out of the slot, which could be critical considering receiver Anquan Boldin has reportedly been traded to the 49ers.
Dickson worked as a key part of the running game primarily as a blocking tight end last year. He caught 21 passes for 225 yards and no touchdowns last year.
On the defensive side, Jones has developed into a quality lineman with the ability to make plays against both the run and the pass. The former fifth-round pick notched a career-high 47 tackles and 4.5 sacks during the season.
The Ravens' other restricted free agents are offensive lineman Ramon Harewood and long snapper Morgan Cox. It's unknown whether the Ravens have extended tender offers to any of those three players.
