Mike Bires of the Beavery County Times put up an interesting theory Tuesday. In wake of a shoulder injury to Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, and subsequently, the possibility Roethlisberger is unable to play in Week 11 against Baltimore (and beyond), the Steelers may give a look at former Steelers quarterback Dennis Dixon.
Dixon was released off the practice squad of the Baltimore Ravens (Pittsburgh's Week 11 opponent) recently, and has started for the Steelers in the past, including one start in 2010 against Baltimore.
While Dixon hasn't played in Todd Haley's offense, there aren't any other quarterbacks available who have started games for the Steelers and are currently free agents. At least, many of the players have a familiarity with Dixon, who was a fifth round selection by the Steelers in 2008.
It never hurts, either, to have a little insight on their next opponent. While teams change their signals week to week, especially if a player gets released, he does have a sense of what's going on behind closed doors in Baltimore.
If Roethlisberger can't play, they may want to bring in another quarterback, even if that means using a roster spot on a fourth quarterback, or even releasing veteran Charlie Batch.
Considering Batch's experience, if they were to bring in another quarterback, Batch would likely be the No. 2 behind Leftwich.
Bires also floated the idea of Jerrod Johnson, a training camp quarterback for the Steelers who was released, and eventually signed with the now-defunct UFL.