Dennis Dixon was the Steelers starter for the first two games of last season when QB’s were either suspended or hurt. Now, a season later, he’s weighing out his options as he sits at home away from camp in Latrobe.
Dixon, a restricted free agent, did not sign his tender and has yet to report to Steelers training camp. His agent, Jeff Sperbeck, told ESPN.com’s James Walker on Sunday that his client prefers a chance to compete for another team over being a backup or even a #3 as Byron Leftwich gets the reps as a backup for Ben Roethlisberger.
“Dennis would love the opportunity to start,” Sperbeck told Walker. “Yes, we would look forward to an opportunity for a trade — it’s a starting opportunity we’re looking for.”
The Steelers currently have a fifth-round tender on Dixon, meaning if a team makes an offer and the Steelers don’t match, the Steelers will get a fifth-round pick from that team in 2012.
Dixon’s agent said there is still a chance at some point that his client will ink the offer that the Steelers have given him. “There’s a possibility he will sign it,” Sperbeck said to Walker. “We’re just looking to gather information here during the early part of free agency.”
Bottom line, Dixon is in a rock and a hard spot. He hasn’t shown enough when given the chance as a starter of the last two seasons to garner that much interest to have a number of teams look at him, but at the same time, he does have some talent and there may be a team that would take a shot on him.
Don’t forget, under the new CBA, teams can have their #3 QB as part of the roster on Sunday and not inactive, meaning that the Steelers could have him on the roster and involved in some type of packages that could take advantage of his speed and ability to run in the pocket.
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DrGeorge
July 31, 2011 at 4:13 pm
Sadly, Dennis Dixon is a gifted athlete whose career will probably be shortened by his college knee injury. He deserves a chance to be an NFL starter, but who would risk millions on him as the guy, given his health history? His choices are few, in reality. He should resign himself to being a backup, where the hits are few and the money is good, and where a few change-of-pace packages could turn him into a media star overnight. If Cordell Stewart had accepted that role or WR, he would have had a much more successful career. So far, Arians hasn’t found an innovative way to use him. For that reason alone, Dixon might consider being # 2 elsewhere. Who could blame him?
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