The Denver Broncos released former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci on Tuesday ahead of the NFL’s roster deadline, according to NFL insider Adam Schefter.
In ESPN’s recent 53-man roster predictions, reporter Jeff Legwold projected that the Broncos would move on from DiNucci, holding onto starter Russell Wilson and backup Jarrett Stidham.
In Denver’s 41-0 preseason win over the L.A. Rams, DiNucci went 11-for-15 for 117 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, Stidham went 17-for-28 for 236 yards and a touchdown. The former also rushed four times for 22 yards while the latter picked up 20 yards on one run.
Though he won’t be on the 53-man roster, the Broncos could still bring DiNucci back for the practice squad.
In his limited playing time on the field during the 2020 season with Dak Prescott injured, DiNucci made one start and appeared in three games for Dallas. DiNucci was given a starting opportunity in 2020 after Andy Dalton was injured as well but had a very rough start against the Philadelphia Eagles. The next week, Dallas opted to start Garrett Gilbert in his place.
The Cowboys opted to cut DiNucci after the final round of releases last offseason. He finished his Dallas career with an 0-1 record, 23-of-43 passes completed for 219 yards and zero touchdowns.
The former Pitt quarterback saw early college action in the 2017 season where he played 10 games for the Panthers. He finished his Pitt career with 1,107 passing yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions before transferring to James Madison.
As a senior, DiNucci completed 268-of-378 attempts for 3,441 yards and 29 touchdowns with six interceptions. He also rushed for 569 yards and seven touchdowns. It was enough for the Cowboys to throw down a seventh-round pick for him.
Cowboys trade for Trey Lance
Ben DiNucci’s former team also released a quarterback this week. The Cowboys traded for Trey Lance, then dropped former West Virginia quarterback Will Grier to give them three quarterbacks.
Dak Prescott still leads the room with Cooper Rush serving as his backup, for now. Should Lance learn the offense quickly, Mike McCarthy just might shuffle things around.
During the Dallas Cowboys’ 31-16 preseason win over the Las Vegas Raiders, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones discussed the team’s trade.
“Just really felt like it was a chance for us to have a young guy in the room that’s on the come,” Jones said on the CBS 11 game broadcast, per Jon Machota of ‘The Athletic.’ “It certainly has no effect on Dak and his future. We look forward to getting his long-term contract signed sooner than later.”
The Cowboys acquired the 2021 No. 3 overall pick from the 49ers for a future fourth-round pick. The move came just two days after head coach Kyle Shanahan named Sam Darnold the backup to Brock Purdy, making Lance the third option on the quarterback depth chart.
On3’s Grant Grubbs contributed to this report.
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