A day after officially adding five players to their eight-member practice squad, the Ravens added former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon to the group Sunday.
The news was reported by CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora.
Dixon worked out for the Ravens in the offseason before they elected to sign former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Curtis Painter to be part of their preseason roster. The organization elected to go with two quarterbacks on the 53-man roster Friday and waived Painter.
A fifth-round pick out of Oregon in the 2008 draft, Dixon spent four years in Pittsburgh while playing in four games and making three starts. His first start came in a Sunday night game played in Baltimore in 2009 in which the 6-foot-3 Dixon completed 12 of 26 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. However, his interception in overtime led to the game-winning field goal by Billy Cundiff.
Displaying good mobility, Dixon is an insurance policy on the practice squad should anything happen to starter Joe Flacco or backup Tyrod Taylor. The Ravens remain high on Taylor’s ability, but the second-year quarterback had an up-and-down preseason that led some to believe he was being pushed by Painter for the backup job. That assessment was never accurate as Painter didn’t cut into Taylor’s reps with the second offense during training camp, but Dixon provides a more seasoned option on the practice squad than you’d typically expect.
In four career games over four seasons with Pittsburgh, Dixon has thrown for 402 yards with one touchdown and and two interceptions.
Dixon joins safety Omar Brown, running back Anthony Allen, offensive linemen Antoine McClain and Jack Cornell, and linebacker Josh Bynes on the practice squad. Safety Anthony Levine and linebacker Adrian Hamilton are also expected to be signed to the eight-man squad, according to a report from The Sun.
