Jarrett Stidham will start in Bo Nix’s spot at quarterback in the AFC Championship Game, but the Denver Broncos are adding some depth at the position.
Ben DiNucci has signed a deal to join the Broncos’ practice squad, he confirmed in a social media post on Sunday.
“It has come to my attention that a team may be in need of my services… Good thing my schedule is open this week,” DiNucci wrote. “Broncos country… Let’s go get a Super Bowl ?”
In the social media post, DiNucci included an image of himself when he was with the Broncos in 2023. But he hasn’t played a regular-season snap since he was a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. He also hasn’t been on a roster since the Atlanta Falcons waived him during preliminary training camp cuts in August.
In fact, DiNucci was actually analyzing the impact of Nix’s season-ending ankle injury for the Broncos in a broadcast for CBS Sports on Saturday. DiNucci, 29, has also spent time in training camp or on a practice squad with the Buffalo Bills and New Orleans Saints since his last NFL start. On top of that, DiNucci spent a season with the Seattle Sea Dragons in the XFL.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton has iterated that Stidham will be under center for next Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots. It’ll mark Stidham’s first start since 2023. Sam Ehlinger is also slated to be Stidham’s primary backup after getting called up from the practice squad earlier in January.
In terms of what other options the Broncos could turn to at quarterback for the remainder of the playoffs, the list is slim. They can’t sign any quarterback who finished their season on an active roster. So, Philip Rivers won’t be able to make another legendary comeback, for instance. They also can’t add a quarterback who’s on an opposing team’s reserve/retired list, like Derek Carr. Carr is on the Saints’ reserve/retired list after announcing his retirement in March.
The only quarterbacks the Broncos can sign are players who ended the 2025 NFL regular season as a free agent. Drew Brees, for instance, could sign with the Broncos and reunite with his former Saints coach as no NFL team holds his contract rights.
But Payton has expressed confidence in Stidham ahead of the backup quarterback’s first playoff start.
“There’d be practices where I’m looking at [defensive coordinator] Vance [Joseph] and getting (mad) because Stiddy’s making our defense look bad,” Payton told reporters. “He’s very accurate. He’s got a lot to his ball.”
Stidham will actually go up against a Patriots team that selected him in the fourth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Payton said that he had his eyes on potentially drafting Stidham when he was still with the Saints.
“I know exactly how he was coached in New England, and then I know how [Patriots offensive coordinator Josh] McDaniels felt about him when he brought him from New England to Vegas. And then I know reports on how he played and then we saw him play in real time,” Payton said.
“But ultimately … it’s our three years here and our three years watching him day in and day out … And so he will be ready to go and ready for the moment.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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