The Denver Broncos are heading into the AFC Championship Game with a major shake-up at the most important position on the field - and not by choice.
Bo Nix, the rookie quarterback who had been leading Denver’s late-season surge, suffered a fractured right ankle in the final moments of Saturday’s 33-30 win over the Buffalo Bills. Just like that, his season is over. It’s a brutal blow for a team that had been building serious momentum, and now, their Super Bowl hopes rest in the hands of Jarrett Stidham.
But the Broncos aren’t sitting back and hoping for the best. Less than 24 hours after Nix’s injury, the team added reinforcements, signing Ben DiNucci to the practice squad, according to multiple reports.
Stidham will get the start against the New England Patriots in the AFC title game, with Sam Ehlinger backing him up. DiNucci slots in as the emergency third option.
And if DiNucci’s social media activity is any indication, he’s ready for whatever comes next. Posting to X, he wrote: “It has come to my attention that a team may be in need of my services… Good thing my schedule is open this week. Broncos country… Let’s go get a Super Bowl.”
It’s a full-circle moment for DiNucci, who spent time with the Broncos in 2023 and already has experience working under head coach Sean Payton. But the circumstances this time are very different.
Just days ago, DiNucci was in the broadcast booth, working as an analyst during the very game in which Nix went down. Now, he’s back in the building - not with a microphone, but with a helmet.
DiNucci’s career has been anything but conventional. A seventh-round pick, he’s bounced around the league, with multiple cuts and comebacks to his name. Last preseason, he was with the Atlanta Falcons, where he attempted just two passes in one preseason game - both incomplete - before being released yet again.
He took it in stride. After being cut for the seventh time, DiNucci posted a photo of himself at the airport with a beer, captioned: “Not many beers better than the airport ‘I just got cut from the NFL for the 7th time’ beer. Trust me, you wouldn’t understand.”
That kind of self-awareness and resilience has defined DiNucci’s journey. When asked by a follower if he’d tried crying about it, he replied: “What is there to cry about?
I’ve had a 5-year NFL career and played on Sunday Night Football. Pretty cool if you ask me.”
And he’s not wrong. DiNucci’s NFL résumé includes a start for the Dallas Cowboys back in 2020, when he was thrown into the fire against the Philadelphia Eagles after Andy Dalton entered concussion protocol. It wasn’t pretty - 21 completions on 40 attempts, four sacks, two fumbles - but it was still a start under the bright lights of prime time.
Since then, he’s carved out a niche in the football world, most notably leading the Seattle Sea Dragons to the XFL playoffs. He’s also had a handful of training camp invites and practice squad stints, keeping him in the NFL orbit.
In total, DiNucci has appeared in three NFL games, throwing for 219 yards. He hasn’t thrown a touchdown or an interception, but he’s stayed ready - and that’s exactly what Denver needs right now.
The Broncos are in uncharted territory. Losing Nix at this stage is a gut punch, no question. But with Stidham stepping up, Ehlinger behind him, and DiNucci now in the mix, Denver’s quarterback room is doing what it has to do: adapt, reload, and keep the dream alive.
The road to the Super Bowl just got a lot tougher for the Broncos - but they’re not backing down.