Former Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft, signed a contract on Thursday with the Philadelphia Eagles to reunite with his former coach Chip Kelly.
Dixon spent the past year on the practice squad for the Baltimore Ravens, winning his second Super Bowl ring since entering the league. He won his first Super Bowl as a member of the Steelers in 2008, his rookie season, when he appeared in one game and completed the only pass he attempted - a 3-yard pickup.
Dixon appeared in a career-high 2 games in 2010, when he was named the team's opening-day starter and completed 22 of 32 passes for the Steelers. He hasn't appeared in an NFL game since 2010.
Dixon was a pedestrian quarterback as a junior at the University of Oregon in 2006, but when Chip Kelly arrived in Eugene as the team's new offensive coordinator in 2007, he helped turn Dixon into a Heisman candidate and national championship contender.
Dixon ultimately blew out his knee, ending both his Heisman candidacy and Oregon's shot at a national championship. But Dixon bounced back quickly, getting drafted 156th overall in 2008.
There's a huge possibility that Dixon never find himself in an NFL game again, but his signing on Thursday is an indication that Kelly is leaving no stone un-turned as begins his NFL coaching career.
The Eagles also re-signed Mike Vick to a one-year contract earlier this week, and they already have former University of Arizona starting quarterback Nick Foles on the roster. Dixon will likely be a practice squad player as he did, after all, play a role in helping the Ravens prepare for Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers' offense for the 2013 Super Bowl.
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