Getty Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021.
The Buffalo Bills are adding some help to their quarterback room after practice squad veteran Shane Buechele suffered a neck injury that could keep him out for an extended time.
The agent for former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci announced on August 12 that he had signed with the Bills. The signing adds a steady hand at quarterback for a team that was down to just one signal caller on Monday — starter Josh Allen, who has played sparingly in the preseason.
Bills Lose Shane Buechele to Neck Injury
Reporter Katherine Fitzgerald of the Buffalo News reported on Monday, August 12, that Buechele had suffered a neck injury that was expected to keep him out for a while, adding that the Bills were working quickly to add another quarterback.
“Sean McDermott says QB Shane Buechele hurt his neck in the game and will be out for an extended period of time. McDermott & Brandon Beane are discussing next steps for the qb room,” Fitzgerald wrote in a post on X.
The Bills were left even more shorthanded on Monday after Allen’s primary backup was missing from practice.
“QB Mitch Trubisky has been excused from today’s practice for a personal matter. Josh Allen is the team’s only available quarterback for practice,” ESPN’s Alaina Getzenberg wrote on X.
DiNucci was drafted by the Cowboys in the seventh round in 2020, appearing in three games that season with one start. He finished the year completing 23-of-43 passes for 219 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.
After being waived by the Cowboys in 2022, DiNucci joined the XFL’s Seattle Sea Dragons and led his team to a 7-3 record. He led the league in passing yards (2,671) and ranked second in touchdowns (20). The 27-year-old returned to the NFL in 2023, spending the season with the Denver Broncos practice squad.
The #Bills are signing QB Ben DiNucci, per agent @JLSports3.
Josh Allen Not Worried After Rough Start
The Bills are coming off a 33-6 loss to the Chicago Bears in their preseason opener on August 10, a performance that Allen appeared to downplay afterward. The Bills quarterback explained that the team was not trying to gameplan for the Bears but instead wanted to work in some new elements that they had been practicing during the offseason.
“We didn’t gameplan at all for what they were going to do on defense. You know, we were just trying to trot out some of the runs that we’ve been working on and practicing, and I know we got a lot of different stunts, a lot of different pressures into those, so it’s all good work,” Allen said, via AtoZ Sports.
But Allen still expressed disappointment with the loss, hinting that the game was not up to the team’s standards. Allen saw limited action, completing 2-of-3 passes for 22 yards and adding 1 rush for 7 yards.
“Coach McDermott is preaching to the room right now that we hold ourselves to a very high standard. And you know, whether that was met today, I guess we’ll find out on film, it didn’t really feel like it was stepping out of that locker room,” Allen said.
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