Broncos cut 2023 preseason star after high-profile quarterback moves

The Denver Broncos have trimmed their quarterback room down to three players ahead of rookie minicamp. The team released 2023 preseason star Ben DiNucci, a move first reported by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

DiNucci was signed by the Broncos after the 2023 rookie minicamp in which he participated as a tryout veteran. He participated in the preseason, appearing in all three games. He had multiple good plays but did not make the final 53-man roster, as the Broncos only had two quarterbacks (Russell Wilson and Jarrett Stidham). DiNucci was waived but then signed to the practice squad.

Usually, teams have four or five quarterbacks during camp, but enter the regular season with three. DiNucci beat Jarrett Guarantano for the QB3 spot in camp last year and earned his practice squad spot in the preseason.

DiNucci finished the 2023-24 preseason with 21/31 completions/attempts, 187 yards two touchdowns, zero interceptions, and a 105.2 passer rating.

Ben spent most of the 2023-24 season on the practice squad as the third quarterback. He was activated for a few games but did not take a single snap. After the season, Denver signed him to a future/reserve contract.

Following the news from Fowler, DiNucci himself confirmed it on his "X" account ...

The Broncos made two key additions to the quarterback room in recent weeks, trading for the former number two overall pick Zach Wilson and taking Bo Nix with the 12th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Almost two weeks after the Draft, DiNucci is cut, and the quarterback room is down from four to three.

Rookie minicamp starts on Friday, and alongside Bo Nix, Denver will have undrafted quarterback John Matocha from the Colorado School of Mines as a tryout player, as he received an invite from the Broncos to participate following the Draft.

Drafting Bo Nix and trading for Zach Wilson made clear that DiNucci was not in Sean Payton's plans for the upcoming 2024-25 season, so the release made sense, especially with rookies signing their contracts soon.

Bo Nix, Zach Wilson, and Jarrett Stidham, make up the updated quarterback room following DiNucci's release.