New NFL Rule Hints at Broncos QB Ben DiNucci's Roster Outlook

Ben DiNucci is loving the NFL's new quarterback rule.

As NFL teams continue shifting away from keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, a recent rule change will bring about another shift. It wasn't a rule change but more so bringing one back. 

It's the third quarterback rule, where if a third quarterback isn't active on the gameday roster, the team can still dress him as an emergency QB. However, that quarterback must be on the 53-man roster and can't be one of the practice squad call-ups. If said QB is among a team's gameday call-ups, he must be on the 48-man gameday roster.

Bringing that rule back will lead to more teams keeping three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster. The Denver Broncos are likely to be one of them, and that favors No. 3 QB Ben DiNucci. Of course, it was always likely the Broncos would keep a third quarterback because it has long been the standard for head coach Sean Payton. 

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During his 15 years as the head coach in New Orleans, the Saints kept three quarterbacks on the roster 11 times, and in two of the years they didn't, they were often calling up a third quarterback during the season. Keeping three quarterbacks was the standard in the NFL for a long time, and when it started shifting back in 2015 or so, Payton was regularly keeping three quarterbacks. 

Now, it's worth mentioning that for most of those years post-2015, Payton kept his gadget quarterback Taysom Hill and more of a pure backup quarterback. So it was a bit different than usual because of how the Saints used Hill, but Payton can't use DiNucci the same way. 

As for the rule change, having an emergency quarterback option ready to go is wise. Hopefully, a team never has to take advantage of the rule to where it loses the top two quarterbacks in a single game, but it's worth having that break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option instead of turning toward a running back or even a wide receiver like Kendall Hinton, as Denver did back in 2020. 

However, it sucks for roster math purposes. A third QB on the roster takes a spot that could be used at another position. 

It could mean one less offensive lineman, edge rusher, or linebacker. That one roster spot is worth it in case the Broncos have to turn to a third quarterback without having to turn over the playbook to someone from a different position and cut the playbook down to a third of what it usually is.

 

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