The Denver Broncos are making some roster moves ahead of the start of Friday’s rookie minicamp, trimming the roster from four quarterbacks to just three.
Denver Broncos release QB Ben DiNucci
The Denver Broncos released veteran quarterback Ben DiNucci on Wednesday morning as the team prepares for Bo Nix’s first look in orange and blue on Friday when rookie minicamp begins.
Prior to this move, the Broncos roster featured Nix, DiNucci, Jarrett Stidham, and Zach Wilson. With DiNucci’s release, the Broncos will head into the offseason with Nix, Stidham, and Wilson.
What does this mean for the team’s quarterback position or perceived competition? While Sean Payton said that these guys will compete, every move they’ve made this offseason, including taking Nix 12th overall, seems to suggest that he’s going to be the Week 1 starter. He should be.
If there’s a competition, it appears more likely that Stidham and Wilson will compete for the backup job behind Nix. When it comes to experience, Wilson has started 33 out of 34 games he’s appeared in through three seasons.
Stidham has appeared in just 16 games in his four-year career, with only four career starts. Last season, Stidham went 1-1 as the starter for the Broncos, beating the Chargers at home and losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in the home finale.
Wilson went 4-7 last season as a starter for the Jets. Once again, if there’s going to be competition, it should be for the backup job.
For Denver to draft Nix as high as they did, he should receive every opportunity to get more reps throughout minicamp/OTAs and training camp. Sitting him for a season won’t benefit him as much as playing right away and taking his lumps as they come while being coached up by Payton and Davis Webb.
The vision for Denver’s quarterback room looks like it’s becoming more and more clear each day.
