The Philadelphia Eagles added a new quarterback to the mix with Michael Vick, bringing in Dennis Dixon as a free agent on a two-year deal from the Baltimore Ravens.
Dixon originally played football at Oregon with Chip Kelly and is the type of quarterback who can run and throw, fitting his offensive system perfectly. While at Oregon with Kelly, Dixon was a Heisman candidate before suffering a serious injury.
Dixon likely will backup Vick or be the third string quarterback and his signing also brings up the question about the possibility of the Eagles trading Nick Foles, who started some games last year but was not stellar for the Eagles. Kelly previously said that Vick and Foles would compete for the starting job, but with Dixon in the fold, Vick is likely to start with him as a backup in case Vick is injured.
Dixon is more of a quarterback like Vick, meaning he should be able to seamlessly come in should anything happen. Last year Dixon was with the Baltimore Ravens and while he was at Oregon he put up great stats, including 2,136 yards passing with 20 touchdowns and four interceptions while connecting on 67.7 percent of his passes. Dixon added nearly 600 yards on the ground in the running game on top of that.
He has played sparingly in his career, making appearances in four games with the Steelers after being drafted out of the fifth round. He has completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 402 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions.
The Eagles depth chart is full of QBs now that Dixon is in the fold, with Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Trent Edwards already in Philadelphia.
Many in the media originally thought Vick would either be released or traded, but instead he and Kelly talked and the quarterback decided to stay in Philadelphia and sign a new one-year contract. Kelly said that he would compete for the starting job with Foles and now that Dixon is in the mix, Edwards is likely the odd man out.
The Eagles had a disappointing season under Andy Reid, going 4-12 to miss the playoffs once again. The team ended the season with an embarrassing 42-7 loss to the New York Giants and had issues with injuries and turnovers all season.
Vick was mediocre while playing during the beginning of the year, turning the ball over way too much. After suffering a concussion, rookie Nick Foles took over and threw for 1,699 yards and six touchdowns. After Foles was injured, Vick became the starter again for the final matchup against the Giants.
The Eagles suffered through an eight game losing streak and won only one of their final 12 games. Running back LeSean McCoy and wideout DeSean Jackson were both injured and missed significant time, while the offense underperformed throughout the year.
Kelly ran a unique offense at Oregon that he is shaping for the NFL and by bringing Dixon in, the coach is giving himself an insurance policy in case anything happens to Vick. Foles was solid for stretches last season, but his skill set is not ideal for Kelly's offense.
The team could decide to trade Foles, leaving Dixon as the backup since he can plus right into Kelly's system. The Eagles were ranked 13th in rushing and passing yards per game and scored just 17.5 points per game, ranked 29th in the league. The team went just 1-5 within the NFC East, winning only on a last-second field goal against the Giants.
