Less than 24 hours after the thrill of beating the Buffalo Bills in overtime of the AFC Divisional Round was followed by the shock of losing starting quarterback Bo Nix to a broken ankle, the Denver Broncos were back at work.
The first line of business was making sure the Broncos have 3 healthy quarterbacks on the roster for next week’s AFC Championship Game in Denver against the New England Patriots, with the Broncos signing veteran backup Ben DiNucci to the practice squad.
DiNucci spent time with the Broncos in 2023 and 2024.
“Broncos are signing veteran QB Ben DiNucci to their practice squad, per source,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X. “He rejoins the team he played for two seasons ago.”
Nix broke his ankle on the third-to-last play in overtime but remained on the field for 2 more plays before Wil Lutz kicked a game-winning, 23-yard field goal to send the Broncos to their first AFC Championship Game in a decade.
Longtime backup Jarrett Stidham will start the next gamge, with Sam Ehlinger as his backup and DiNucci presumably serving as the emergency third quarterback.
DiNucci, 29 years old, started one game for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, going 21-of-40 passing for 180 yards, no touchdowns and no interceptions in a 23-9 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“Ben DiNucci spent all of 2023 with the Broncos and Sean Payton on the practice squad, so he’s familiar with offensive system,” DNVR’s Zac Stevens wrote on X.
DiNucci Spent 2025 Season in Broadcast Booth
DiNucci was a seventh round pick (No. 228 overall) by the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL draft after he earned CAA Offensive Player of the Year and led James Madison to an FCS Championship Game appearance in 2019.
After 2 seasons with the Cowboys, DiNucci was out of football for a year before returning in 2023 to play for the XFL’s Seattle Dragons, where he led the league with 2,671 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 10 games.
He returned to the NFL in 2023 and 2024 with the Broncos, New Orleans Saints and Bills.
DiNucci was part of the final cuts for the Atlanta Falcons in 2025 before the 53-man roster was released and moved quickly into the broadcast booth for CBS Sports as a color commentator for college football.
“It has come to my attention that a team may be in need of my services … ” DiNucci wrote on his official X account shortly after he signed with the Broncos. “Good thing my schedule is open this week. Broncos country … Let’s go get a Super Bowl?”
Stidham Gets Chance to Send Broncos to Super Bowl
Stidham hasn’t played in a regular season game since he started the final 2 games of the 2023 regular season for the Broncos after Payton benched Russell Wilson. In 7 NFL seasons with the Patriots, Las Vegas Raiders and Broncos, Stidham is 1-3 in 4 starts.
There won’t be a more important start in his entire life than when he takes the field Sunday in Denver — unless he wins and the Broncos advance to the Super Bowl for the first time since they won Super Bowl 50 following the 2015 season.
His last extended action was in the Broncos‘ 30-9 preseason opener win over the San Francisco 49ers on August 9 — 14-of-15 passing for 136 yards, 2 touchdowns and no interceptions to go with 3 carries for 36 yards in just 2 quarters.
Broncos Sign Former NFC Starting QB After Bo Nix Injury