Bills to sign former Cowboys folk hero after third-string QB suffers injury

The Buffalo Bills are set to sign former Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Sea Dragons quarterback Ben DiNucci to get them through the preseason.

Aug 26, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Ben DiNucci (17) hands off to running back Aaron Shampklin (32) in the fourth quarter against the Seattle Seahawks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

The Buffalo Bills are set to sign quarterback Ben DiNucci, his agency shared on Twitter Monday afternoon.

Congratulations to client @B_DiNucci6 signing with the @BuffaloBills #GoBills

— JL Sports (@JLSports3) August 12, 2024

DiNucci joins the team following Shane Buechele’s preseason neck injury. Head coach Sean McDermott told reporters that Buechele picked up the ailment during the team’s preseason opener and will be out for “an extended period of time.” He also stated that Buffalo was looking through its options at quarterback; it promptly identified DiNucci as the strongest of its choices.

DiNucci was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft and was a momentary folk hero, his name sparking the creation of several memes across the Dallas and general NFL fandoms. He appeared in three games for the Cowboys in the 2020 NFL season, completing 53.5% of his passes for 219 yards, zero touchdowns, and zero interceptions.

He was waived by Dallas ahead of the 2022 NFL season, setting the stage for him to become an XFL star. He completed 64.7% of his passes for a league-leading 2,671 yards in the 2023 season, leading the Seattle Sea Dragons to a 7-3 record. He spent the 2023 NFL season on the Denver Broncos practice squad but was waived by the team this past May.

DiNucci does not project as a realistic roster candidate in Buffalo. He’ll instead soak up preseason reps over the next two weeks to prevent starter Josh Allen or backup Mitchell Trubisky from picking up injuries. 

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