The Ravens signed free-agent tight end Tony Curtis on Tuesday and traded linebacker Prescott Burgess to the New England Patriots for a conditional seventh-round pick, the team said.
Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on his weekly radio show Tuesday that it was hard to trade Burgess because of what he brought to the Ravens.
"That was really tough because Prescott is a good player and he was playing well on special teams," Harbaugh said. "I think he worked as hard as anybody. He was physical against the run.
"We had a roster spot we had to do something with because we signed Tony Curtis. He can play tight end pretty well. We worked him out over a week ago and had an idea we wanted to bring him in. We really feel we needed to bolster the position depth-wise. Plus, he's a pretty decent special teams player. Prescott afforded us the ability to make that move and get a draft pick which in the long run is a good thing for our team."
Curtis, 26, who is 6 feet 5, 251 pounds, has played for the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles. He was cut by the Eagles on Sept. 8.
In five seasons, Curtis has 11 receptions for 50 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens have been playing with two tight ends (Todd Heap and Edgar Jones) for the first two weeks because L.J. Smith has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Burgess, picked in the sixth round by the Ravens in 2006, played a significant role on the Ravens' special teams. He spent last season on injured reserve with an arm injury.
- Jamison Hensley
