In a word — no. Still, the third-year quarterback out of Oregon has a chance (albeit a slim one) to unseat the incumbent for a championship contender. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would not commit to handing the starting job back to Ben Roethlisberger when he returns from his suspension after Week 4.
When asked Tuesday on Sirius NFL Radio about who'd be the starting quarterback in Week 6 against Cleveland, Tomlin was fairly honest.
"I'm going to dodge that one — and not artfully," he said, according to host Adam Schein's Twitter page. "I'm not going to back myself in corner."
Roethlisberger's suspension was shortened last week from six games to four, making him eligible to return to the team during its bye week. While most would assume Roethlisberger has a 99 percent chance of starting under center in Week 6, Tomlin is at least leaving the window cracked for Dixon to step up and lead the team.
The fact that he's only thrown 27 passes in his career might stand in the way of that. Remember, though, that Brady had thrown just three passes when he entered the Patriots' Week 2 matchup with the Jets, shortly after Mo Lewis knocked then-starter Drew Bledsoe out of the game.
The rest, of course is history. Though it may be unlikely, the first four games of the Steelers' season could alter it once more.
