Once Ben Roethlisberger returns from his four-game suspension, the Pittsburgh Steelers may place quarterback Dennis Dixon on season-ending injured reserve, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Dixon, who opened the season as the starting quarterback after Byron Leftwich went down with a sprained knee, had surgery to repair torn meniscus in his left knee last week and is expected to miss up to six weeks.

"They say from four to six weeks, but every time it's different," Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said. "We're hopeful he's going to get back to us quickly."

No official announcement is expected to be made until next week, but as I wrote last week, Dixon's injury timeline made him a candidate to land on injured reserve.