Former Broncos QB gets tryout with AFC rival: report

Denver Broncos quarterbacks Bo Nix, Jarrett Stidham and Zach Wilson will all serve as the No. 1 QB in training camp until head coach Sean Payton names the starter.

There were four quarterbacks on the roster after the 2024 draft. But the Broncos released backup Ben DiNucci on May 8. DiNucci is still a free agent with training camps opening around the NFL.

His last chance could be reuniting with a former teammate.

“Former Broncos practice squad QB Ben DiNucci had a tryout with the Steelers, where he knows their No. 1 QB Russell Wilson well,” Mike Klis of 9News reported on X on July 23.

DiNucci’s latest conclusion in the NFL was in 2020 with the Dallas Cowboys. He completed 53.5% of his passes for 219 yards in three games with one start that season. The Cowboys fired DiNucci in August 2022.

DiNucci signed with the Broncos in May 2023.

He had spent the spring with the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,671 yards, 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 10 starts for the Sea Dragons.

DiNucci joins a stacked Steelers QB room, which in addition to Wilson also features former first-round pick Justin Fields, veteran Kyle Allen and undrafted free agent rookie John Rhys Plumlee.

The Broncos will also pay Wilson $53 million in 2024 after firing him in March.

Broncos to ‘Mix It Up’ QB in Training Camp

GettyJarrett Stidham #8, Bo Nix #10 and Zach Wilson #4 of the Denver Broncos.

“We’re going to switch it back up. Obviously it won’t last long term, but once we get going. We’ll keep you updated and eventually we’ll find the routine that we want,” Payton told reporters on July 23.

“I’m not going to sit here and say, ‘This is how it’s going to go.’ Because I think the mistake that’s been made is deciding how it’s going to go. … I think we’re going to see a rotation initially, and then we’ll go from there.”

Payton said there would be an “open competition” for the starting position in training camp.

That could be good news for Wilson. Payton told media after the April trade that it took a “little bit of work” to acquire Wilson. The Broncos traded sixth-round draft picks to the New York Jets during the 2024 draft to acquire Wilson.

Sean Payton: ‘Goal No. 1’ is to find ‘the right 53 players’ for Broncos roster

GettyDenver Broncos head coach Sean Payton.

Payton also bristled at the idea that the Broncos are trying to strike a balance between evaluating their quarterbacks equally and finding a starter for Week 1.

“I don’t think you find the balance between finding the guy who beats Seattle. I don’t think that makes sense; the sense,” Payton said. “We’re looking for the guy who beats Seattle. And we’re going to find that player. How do I balance the day, how do I balance the schedule, how do I balance the reps? That’s all part of what we do as far as teaching and the progression of teaching.

“Look, the main goal is to find the right 53 players here for our team. Of course, there’s a lot of emphasis on the quarterback position because there’s open competition. But I don’t see it as finding the balance. I see it as finding the player.”