Ben DiNucci has joined the Buffalo Bills as their third-string quarterback, the player’s agency JL Sports announced on social media on Monday.
The reason the Bills haven’t made the signing public yet is that they need to make a roster move to make room for him.
Coach Sean McDermott had already stated that the team was trying to bring in a quarterback to take Shane Buechele’s position, who is sidelined indefinitely with a neck injury.
Although McDermott did not elaborate on the ailment, he did state that Buechele persevered despite it following his injury during Buffalo’s 33-6 preseason loss to Chicago on Saturday.
The Bills are restricting the preseason playing time of starter Josh Allen and backup Mitch Trubisky in an effort to lower injury concerns, so adding a third quarterback was crucial.
Buechele entered the game in the middle of the third quarter. Linebacker Micah Baskerville returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown, and he completed 6 of 10 passes for 53 yards. Buechele had three carries for 22 yards in addition to six sacks.
Dallas selected 27-year-old DiNucci in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft after he played collegiate football at James Madison and Pittsburgh. He completed 23 of 43 passes for 219 yards in three NFL games during his debut campaign with the Cowboys, including one start that ended in a loss.
Before the 2022 season began, DiNucci was waived by Dallas. He then played for the Denver Broncos the previous season before being let go in May.
Allen took all of the team snaps throughout practice on Monday while Trubisky was missing due to personal matters. Kyle Shurmur, the offensive quality control coach, assisted by tossing passes during individual drills.
Shurmur, a former college quarterback who was on the practice squads of several NFL teams, including Washington in 2021, is the son of former Browns and Giants coach Pat Shurmur.
Allen did not play in the second quarter of the game against Chicago, and it is unknown how many more preseason games he will play in.
