Buffalo Bills sign Dennis Dixon to practice squad

Dennis Dixon (3) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Panthers 14-9. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills are in need of quarterback depth following the injury to E.J. Manuel, and they are set to sign Dennis Dixon to their practice squad as some insurance. The NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that the Buffalo Bills are going to be adding a new quarterback, and a source told Rapoport that they are expected to sign Dennis Dixon to the practice squad as that new QB.

E.J. Manuel is going to be out for about six weeks with a knee injury, and they decided to name Thaddeus Lewis as their interim starter. It looks like Manuel could return anywhere from four to eight weeks, so Lewis could cement himself as the interim starter during that time or just as easily get himself booted out. Washington State UDFA Jeff Tuel is still the No. 2 quarterback, and the Buffalo Bills will use Dixon as the No. 3 QB.

Dixon has been a serviceable third-stringer for quite some time, and he spent the vast majority of his career as an intriguing backup for the Pittsburgh Steelers. The former Oregon Ducks star and Heisman candidate is pretty smart, he has nice short-range accuracy, and he’s mobile. He’s definitely not somebody worth starting, but he’s a better backup than a few people give him credit for. The big surprise is that Dixon still has practice squad eligibility, but that’s obviously great news for the Bills. One thing to note is that former Ducks coach Chip Kelly wouldn’t even let Dennis Dixon stick with the Philadelphia Eagles, as he was cut out of training camp. However, there was also a logjam at QB with Nick Foles and Matt Barkley as  backups to Michael Vick in Philly.

The 28-year-old is practice squad eligible since he has rarely been active on gamedays in his career despite being on the roster (he has four appearances, all with Pittsburgh, to his name). The Bills worked Dixon out a few days ago.

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