Separated Shoulder Will Be Costly for Dennis Dixon

Dennis Dixon's preseason is likely over after he suffered a dislocation of his throwing shoulder in Saturday's loss to the Redskins.

Since he's the Steelers' No. 3 quarterback, it's hard to say that this is a crushing blow for Pittsburgh, but it is disappointing from a development standpoint. It eliminates any chance Dixon had of really pushing Charlie Batch for the backup job, but more than that, it will cost Dixon lots of snaps that would help him be ready to take over as the team's No. 2 next year. When Ben Roethlisberger misses a preseason game like he did with an Achilles injury, it's no big deal as long as he's healthy for the opener. But Dixon's injury will likely cut in half the number of in-game snaps he'll get this year.

Once the season begins, Ben Roethlisberger gets almost all the snaps in practice while Batch will get the few that don't go to Roethlisberger. No. 3 quarterbacks get to run the scout team. But with Roethlisberger recovering from an Achilles injury, Dixon would have been assured of plenty of snaps next week and probably a full half of action during the final preseason game. Instead, Batch and fourth-stringer Mike Reilly will get more playing time -- which considering Batch is a 11-year vet and Reilly is a likely practice-squader, are all snaps that would be best spent on Dixon.

Now Steelers' fans can't complain too much -- no Eagles fan would trade a Dixon injury for the laundry list of bumps and bruises that have ruined Philadelphia's training camp -- but it is frustrating to see Dixon's relatively promising preseason end early.