The Denver Broncos are returning to work after their bye in Week 14, and one former team member is simply getting back to work. Former Broncos quarterback Ben DiNucci announced that he has signed with a notable new team: the New Orleans Saints.
“I have fun news,” DiNucci said in a post on X on December 10. “I signed with the Saints this morning.
“Source – myself (fairly credible).”
DiNucci’s landing spot is notable if for no other reason than it is the old stomping grounds of Broncos head coach Sean Payton as well as several assistant coaches and players. The Broncos beat the Saints 33-10 in Week 7.
DiNucci never saw the field during the regular season with the Broncos. He did complete 67.7% of his passes for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns during the 2023 preseason, though. Originally a seventh-round pick by the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, DiNucci spent four seasons there, mostly on the practice squad.
Ben DiNucci with a dime for his first career NFL completion 🎯 @B_DiNucci6 @dallascowboys
📺 #DALvsWAS on FOX pic.twitter.com/UewAuOsx8L— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) October 25, 2020
The Broncos released DiNucci in May, which DiNucci also announced with a post saying he was “excited for what’s to come.”
He signed with the Buffalo Bills practice squad in August and was cut after the preseason.
Ben DiNucci Lost Out on Broncos Roster Spot to Record-Setting QB
GettyBen DiNucci #6 of the Denver Broncos looks to pass during a preseason game against the San Francisco 49ers.
DiNucci threw for 219 yards on 53.5% completion in his lone season of NFL action. That was during the 2020 season with the Cowboys. He appeared in three games and had a .525-180-0-0 line with 4 sacks taken in his lone start, which the Cowboys lost.
He was always a long shot to make the Broncos roster even after they cut Russell Wilson.
They still had Jarrett Stidham under contract. The Broncos also traded for Zach Wilson before the draft and then selected Bo Nix during it.
However, DiNucci actually lost out to collegiate record-setting Colorado School of Mines quarterback John Matocha, an undersized prospect who had received an invite to rookie minicamp in April.
Matocha earned a tryout on the same day the former announced his release from the Broncos.
“Matocha graduated from Mines as one of the top quarterbacks in NCAA Division II history, throwing for 15,006 career yards and 162 touchdowns, rushing for 1,982 yards and 28 touchdowns, and compiling the best quarterback rating in D-II history at 172.4,” MinesAthletics.com’s Tim Flynn wrote in April.
“He ranks first all-time in college football history in passing and total (191) touchdowns, and is second in D-II history total offensive yards (17,006), and third in passing yards.”
Denver did not offer Matocha a training camp deal and he signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL.
Bo Nix Has Stopped Broncos QB Carousel, on Verge of Snapping Playoff Drought
GettyBo Nix #10 of the Denver Broncos looks on before a game against the Cleveland Browns.
Though DiNucci was not one of them, the Broncos have had 13 quarterbacks start at least one game since Peyton Manning, the last QB to lead them to the playoffs (2015), including Nix.
The Broncos went 52-79 in the years between Manning and Nix. The rookie has already led them to as many wins as they had all of last season. And he still has four games to go. With a win in Week 15, the Broncos can secure their first nine-win season since 2016.
Payton asserts they have much bigger goals than that.
It is still a notable accomplishment. The organization has come a long way on the field from its five-win 2022 campaign.
