Philadelphia acquired defensive tackle Ronnie Dixon from… #1
Philadelphia acquired defensive tackle Ronnie Dixon from Cleveland on August 21, 1995 for the Eagles' 1996 seventh-round pick, which became No. 238 overall. Dixon played all 32 regular-season games for Philadelphia over the next two seasons and made 14 starts. The relocated Cleveland franchise used the acquired selection on quarterback Jon Stark, who did not appear in an NFL regular-season game.
Cleveland Browns Received
- pick 1996 seventh round pick (#238- Jon Stark )
Philadelphia Eagles Received
- player Ronnie Dixon
Trade Analysis
The legacy row had the correct core assets but the wrong season and an understated evaluation. Multiple contemporaneous and team-controlled sources place the transaction on August 21, 1995, not August 21, 1994. NFL's league transaction log lists Cleveland trading defensive tackle Ronnie Dixon to Philadelphia on that date. Philadelphia's own all-time draft material also says the 238th overall selection in the 1996 draft was traded to Cleveland in 1995 for Dixon. Pro Football Reference's 1995 Eagles and Browns trade ledgers agree on the structure: Philadelphia sent its 1996 seventh-round pick for Dixon. The selection later became No. 238 overall. By draft day the Cleveland franchise had relocated to Baltimore, and the Ravens used that pick on quarterback Jon Stark. Pro Football Hall of Fame draft records identify Stark as Baltimore's seventh-round selection at No. 238. Stark did not produce a regular-season NFL career, so the original pick did not create realized on-field value for the Cleveland/Baltimore side. Philadelphia received considerably more. NFL career statistics show Dixon appearing in all 16 Eagles games in 1995 with 10 starts and all 16 games again in 1996 with four starts. He recorded 28 tackles in 1995 and 12 in 1996, giving Philadelphia 32 games and 14 starts for the price of a late seventh-round choice. The Eagles then preserved additional value by trading Dixon to the New York Jets on April 18, 1997 for another seventh-round pick, No. 207 overall, which Philadelphia used on quarterback Koy Detmer. TradeVerdicts does not fold Detmer's later career fully into the original transaction grade, but the residual return reinforces that Philadelphia extracted more than a short rental from Dixon. Cleveland/Baltimore received a legitimate draft asset, but the eventual selection did not become an NFL contributor. Philadelphia therefore gets the directional edge. The Eagles receive a B for two complete seasons of useful defensive-line snaps, 14 starts and a later residual pick. The Cleveland/Baltimore side receives a D+ because its seventh-round return became a player with no regular-season NFL appearance. Confidence is high because the date, compensation, draft-selection identity and Dixon's Philadelphia production are all supported by official or well-established records.