Broncos sign QB for postseason run after Bo Nix injury

The Broncos are bringing back a familiar face to bolster their quarterback room ahead of the AFC Championship Game

Jan 18, 2026, 3:30 PM Updated: 6:40 pm

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The Broncos are bringing back a familiar face to bolster their quarterback room ahead of the AFC Championship Game.

Denver is signing veteran quarterback Ben DiNucci to their practice squad, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Sunday. DiNucci confirmed the news on social media, writing that he’s headed back to the Mile High City, hopeful to get a Super Bowl.

It has come to my attention that a team may be in need of my services…

Good thing my schedule is open this week.

Broncos country…

Let’s go get a Super Bowl ? pic.twitter.com/4DVBWYzmRS

— Ben DiNucci (@B_DiNucci6) January 18, 2026

The move comes one day after Bo Nix suffered a fractured ankle during the Broncos’ thrilling 33-30 overtime victory over the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round. Nix will require surgery and miss the remainder of the playoffs, leaving Jarrett Stidham to take over as Denver’s starter in next week’s conference title game.

“Stiddy is ready to go,” head coach Sean Payton said Saturday night. “He’s ready, he’s ready. I feel like I’ve got a two who’s capable of starting for a number of teams, and I know he feels the same way. Watch out, just watch.”

DiNucci, 29, is no stranger to the organization. He spent the 2023 season on Denver’s practice squad as the third-string quarterback behind Russell Wilson and Stidham after starring in the XFL. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound signal-caller has bounced around the league since, most recently competing with the Atlanta Falcons during training camp. But he spent the fall working for CBS Sports, covering college football.

A seventh-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020, DiNucci has appeared in just three NFL games, all during his rookie season. He completed 23 of 43 passes for 219 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions in that span, going 0-1 as a starter.

DiNucci’s best professional work came in the XFL, where he completed 64.7% of his passes for 2,671 yards with 20 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 2023.

With DiNucci’s arrival, the Broncos’ quarterback depth chart now features Stidham as the starter, Sam Ehlinger as the primary backup, and DiNucci as the emergency third option.

The Broncos, who earned the AFC’s No. 1 seed, are just one win away from what would be the franchise’s ninth Super Bowl appearance. But they’ll have to get there without Nix, whose poise in the clutch was unreal in Denver’s win against the Bills.

Sean Payton celebrated with Nix just before Wil Lutz’s game-winning kick Saturday, but one word from his quarterback revealed something was terribly wrong. Now Nix will watch the rest of the journey as a spectator.

The AFC Championship Game is scheduled for next Sunday at Empower Field at Mile High.