Tag: Ben Dinucci

Former Broncos quarterback signs with Bills

Former Broncos backup quarterback Ben DiNucci has signed with the Bills. He’ll compete behind Josh Allen and Mitchell Trubisky.

Ben DiNucci is returning to the NFL.

The former Denver Broncos backup quarterback signed with the Buffalo Bills on Monday, the team announced. Buffalo turned to DiNucci after losing third-string quarterback Shane Buechele to a neck injury.

DiNucci, 27, joined the Broncos in 2023 after impressing in the XFL with the Seattle Sea Dragons. He spent that fall on Denver’s practice squad as the team’s third-string quarterback behind Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham.

The Broncos waived DiNucci in May after trading for Zach Wilson and using a first-round draft pick to select Bo Nix in April. Stidham and Nix are now competing for the starting role with Wilson serving as QB3 in Denver.

DiNucci, meanwhile, slots into the QB3 role in Buffalo behind backup Mitchell Trubisky and starter Josh Allen. The Bills mark DiNucci’s third team in the NFL after previously playing for the Dallas Cowboys and Broncos. DiNucci has teased a potential return to spring football if his NFL career ever hits a snag.

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Bills announce QB Ben DiNucci signing plus two new receivers

#Bills announce QB Ben DiNucci signing plus two new receivers:

The Buffalo Bills confirmed one signing and added two more to the list.

Quarterback Ben DiNucci has officially signed with the team. It was previously reported the Bills intended to sign the 27-year-old and now it has happened.

In addition to the QB addition, two receivers new receivers will now suit up for Buffalo: Damiere Byrd and Deon Cain.

In corresponding moves, quarterback Shane Buechele (neck) and receiver Chase Claypool (toe) were placed on injured reserve. Wideout Bryan Thompson (undisclosed) was also waived/ injured.

DiNucci, 27, was most recently with the Denver Broncos. He was waived in May. He was out of the NFL for the 2022 season but played with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons.

DiNucci was a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. DiNucci’s lone start in the NFL came during his rookie year. He threw for 180 yards in a 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bryd, 31, has played eight seasons in the NFL. He was most recently with the Atlanta Falcons in 2023, but only appeared in one game. The 5-foot-9 target had his best season in 2020 with the New England Patriots, hauling in 47 catches for 604 yards and a touchdown.

In his career, Byrd has 130 catches for 1,689 yards and seven touchdowns. Along with the Pats (2020) and Falcons (2022-23), Byrd has played for the Chicago Bears (2021), Arizona Cardinals (2019) and Carolina Panthers (2016-19).

The latter team meaning he crossed paths with members of the Bills coaching staff in Carolina, including head coach Sean McDermott and offensive coordinator Joe Brady.

Cain, 28, has bounced around the NFL but has not played in the league over the last three years. The 6-foot-2 wideout has played in the USFL the past two seasons but has nine catches for 124 yards in his NFL career.

Bills Wire will continue to provide roster updates throughout the 2024 season.

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Bills sign QB Ben DiNucci after injury occurs

#Bills sign QB Ben DiNucci after injury occurs:

The Buffalo Bills have signed quarterback Ben DiNucci.

The team announced the move on Monday following their 33-6 loss to the Chicago Bears in their preseason opener.

While second-string quarterback Mitchell Trubisky did struggle against the Bears, DiNucci was brought in to replace Shane Buechele. The No. 3 QB against Chicago suffered a neck injury and will miss several weeks.

DiNucci, 27, was most recently with the Denver Broncos. He was waived in May. He was out of the NFL for the 2022 season but played with the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons.

DiNucci was a seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. DiNucci’s lone start in the NFL came during his rookie year. He threw for 180 yards in a 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bills Wire will continue to bring all roster updates throughout the 2024 season.

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Report: Steelers bring in ex-Cowboys, Broncos QB Ben DiNucci for workout

The Steelers are working out former Cowboys, Broncos QB Ben DiNucci.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers lost John Rhys Plumlee to the UFL draft last week, they suddenly have a spot to fill. According to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson, it could be with University of Pittsburgh’s Ben DiNucci, who was recently part of the Denver Broncos.

DiNucci hasn’t taken a snap since 2020, when he appeared in three games in relief of Dallas Cowboys’ Dak Prescott. His only start resulted in a 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. Overall, DiNucci went 23-for-43 on 219 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. He was sacked seven times and fumbled four times with two losses.

Plumlee was selected No. 3 overall by the Arlington Renegades after going undrafted in the 2024 NFL draft.

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Will the Broncos sign any UFL players before training camp?

The Broncos signed QB Ben DiNucci from the XFL last year and LS Mitchell Fraboni from the USFL two years ago. Are any UFL signings on deck?

The 2024 UFL season wrapped up on Sunday when the Birmingham Stallions defeated San Antonio Brahmas 25-0 in the championship game. Players from the UFL are now free to sign with NFL teams, and history suggests a flurry of moves could be on the way.

Last year, NFL teams signed 42 USFL players and 50 XFL players (those two leagues have since merged to form the UFL). Two of the most notable signings last spring were kicker Brandon Aubrey going to the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Ben DiNucci going to the Denver Broncos.

The Cowboys and Broncos also turned to spring football in 2022, signing USFL kick returner KaVontae Turpin and long snapper Mitchell Fraboni, respectively. Turpin made the Pro Bowl in his first season in Dallas and Fraboni remains Denver’s long snapper going into his third season.

So, who’s on deck in 2024? Birmingham quarterback Adrian Martinez — this year’s UFL MVP — and St. Louis kicker Andre Szmyt are among the players to watch as NFL teams begin poking around this summer.

If the Broncos end up flying any UFL players to Denver for workouts, we will be tracking any potential signings on Broncos Wire.

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Broncos release QB Ben DiNucci

The Denver Broncos released quarterback Ben DiNucci.

The Denver Broncos have made a significant change to their quarterback room before rookie minicamp begins on Friday.

After drafting Oregon quarterback Bo Nix in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft and trading for former New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson, the Broncos released fourth quarterback Ben DiNucci on Wednesday.

DiNucci found himself as the low man on the totem pole in the building after winning the third-string quarterback slot in 2023 behind Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. DiNucci never saw the field in a regular season game in a Broncos uniform.

DiNucci was a third-year veteran from the Dallas Cowboys and the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons before signing with Denver in the 2023 offseason.

After DiNucci’s release, the Broncos now turn their attention to their various offseason programs. Denver begins their rookie minicamp on May 10, giving fans their first look at Nix and the other rookies. The Broncos then start their non-mandatory OTA workouts that run from May 21-23, 28-30 and June 3-6.

Will the Broncos cut a quarterback this summer?

If the Broncos opt to carry just two QBs on the 53-man roster in 2024, they could save $5 million if they cut QB Jarrett Stidham.

The Denver Broncos opted to keep two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster last season (Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham) while stashing a third (Ben DiNucci) on the practice squad.

It remains to be seen if coach Sean Payton will take the same numbers approach in 2024. If Payton opts to again only carry two QBs, at least one of Bo Nix, Zach Wilson or Stidham will be released this summer.

Nix is obviously safe. He’s a first-round pick and the future of the franchise. He’s the only lock to make the 53-man roster in the quarterback room.

Wilson, believe it or not, is probably relatively safe as well. Payton has described Wilson as a young, talented QB, and the coach “really likes” Wilson’s traits. There’s no guarantee Wilson will turn his career around, but he’s only 24 and costs the team just $2.72 million this season.

Stidham, on the other hand, is a 27-year-old journeyman with a $7 million cap hit in 2024. At this point in his career, Stidham is who he is. Denver will not hold out hope of Stidham suddenly reviving his NFL career.

The Broncos could save $5 million if they release Stidham this fall, seemingly making him the most likely candidate to be cut (if the team only carries two QBs). Denver could try to trade Stidham to a QB-needy team leading up to roster cuts, but he probably wouldn’t draw much interest.

If Stidham is cut and signs elsewhere, DiNucci would presumably be the favorite to once again fill the QB3 role on the practice squad. All of this, of course, is merely speculation at this point. With that said, the numbers — and the money — suggest the Broncos might cut a quarterback in August.

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Broncos backup QB Ben DiNucci has a great idea for NFL and UFL

Could the NFL make the UFL a developmental league, allowing backups to play in the spring and return in summer? Ben DiNucci likes the idea.

Denver Broncos backup quarterback Ben DiNucci took to Twitter/X with a confession on Wednesday.

“Can’t lie,” the QB wrote on his social media page. “I miss the XFL.”

DiNucci, 27, played in the XFL for the Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023. After he led the league in passing yards (2,671) and ranked second in touchdown passes (20), DiNucci signed with the Broncos. He served as a reserve QB on Denver’s practice squad last year.

DiNucci will likely have a similar backup role in 2024. Meanwhile, the XFL and USFL have merged to join the UFL. Over the last three weeks, 23 former Broncos players have played in the UFL, and DiNucci seems to have a minor case of FOMO.

When asked by a fan if he would consider playing in the UFL again, DiNucci said if he knew his NFL career was over, he’d return to spring football. He’d already be playing in the spring league if he wasn’t employed by Denver.

“Trust me… if I didn’t have a job in the NFL I would be playing again,” DiNucci tweeted on Wednesday evening.

What if it was possible to do both?

Some fans suggested that the NFL adopt the UFL as a developmental league, allowing players to play spring football and then return to the NFL clubs for the start of the offseason program. DiNucci loves the idea.

That kind of format “benefits guys in my position big time,” DiNucci tweeted. “Reps are hardest thing to come by playing QB. Getting 12 games of tape last year was huge.”

DiNucci believes playing in both leagues is feasible.

NFL Europe did not last, but there have been talks in recent years of the NFL attempting to implement a developmental league again. If the UFL proves to be a sustainable league, perhaps the NFL will consider a partnership at some point in the future.

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NFL’s new practice squad rule is good news for Broncos backup QB

NFL teams can elevate a practice squad QB to the game-day roster every week in 2024, a big increase from the three-game limit in 2023.

The NFL has adopted 12 new rules and regulations ahead of the 2024 season, and one of the changes is good news for Denver Broncos backup quarterback Ben DiNucci.

The league adopted a proposal from the competition committee to “expand the Standard Elevation rules to permit clubs to elevate a bona fide Quarterback an unlimited number of times from its practice squad to its Active List to be its Emergency Third Quarterback.”

Previously, players on the practice squad could only be elevated to the game-day roster three times during the season. If a player was elevated a fourth time, he had to clear waivers in order to return to the practice squad.

The three-elevation rule no longer applies to quarterbacks, but it does still apply to every other position on the practice squad. Teams are also still limited to a pair of practice squad elevations per week, so only one other position can be called up if a QB is elevated each week.

DiNucci spent last season on Denver’s practice squad and he was elevated to the game-day roster three times. If he makes the practice squad again in 2024, DiNucci could be elevated every week this fall without having to clear waivers. If he makes the game-day roster six times, DiNucci would reach an accrued season, which would help him earn more once he hits free agency.

So the new rule allowing QBs to be called up from the practice squad will give the Broncos more roster flexibility in 2024, and it could help DiNucci earn more in the future if he ends up on the game-day roster more often.

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5-step quarterback plan for the Broncos in 2024

What should the Broncos do at quarterback this offseason? Here’s a hypothetical five-step plan.

The Denver Broncos have insisted that Russell Wilson could remain with the team in 2024, but we expect the quarterback will be released in March (Wilson expects that, too).

So if the Broncos do cut Wilson as expected, what’s the QB plan? Jarrett Stidham and Ben DiNucci are both under contract for 2024, but Denver will undoubtedly add more depth and competition to the position this spring.

We’ve put together a five-step plan for how we would approach the 2024 offseason. This is not a prediction or a report of what the team will do. Rather, it’s what Broncos Wire would do this spring.

The first step is releasing Wilson. Such a move will create a large “dead money” salary cap hit, but it’s hard to imagine the QB remaining in Denver. He should have suitors as a free agent.

After that, the Broncos will have to make a decision on Stidham. Our plan might surprise you.