The coming days figure to be busy and full of churn for the back part of the Broncos roster.
The team started making moves by releasing quarterback Ben DiNucci, a move made official on the league’s transaction wire Wednesday afternoon.
DiNucci acknowledged the move on social media, writing, “All part of the journey!! Excited for what’s to come.”
DiNucci spent all of the 2023 season on the practice squad and was elevated to the gameday roster the maximum number of times allowed: three.
The Broncos elevated him but then did not actually make him active on game day as a way to make sure he got three game checks after a team tried to poach him during the season. At that time, Payton called the moves, “a way for us to help invest in someone that we want (and who) we see being here as a young, developmental player.”
His station on the roster changed this offseason, though, when Denver traded for Zach Wilson and then drafted Bo Nix in the first round of last month’s draft, adding a pair of players to a room that already included Jarrett Stidham.
DiNucci, as it happens, signed with the Broncos a year ago after he tried out during the team’s rookie minicamp. This year’s minicamp begins Friday and again will feature a combination of draft picks, undrafted signings, tryout players and a few veterans.
That makes this weekend one where there is a good amount of natural roster movement.
With DiNucci released, the Broncos have 80 active players and unsigned draft picks combined. The Post has Denver at 14 signed college free agents, meaning at least a handful of moves are likely coming in order to get to 90 before the minicamp begins.
Then during or after the minicamp more moves tend to happen if a rookie or veteran tryout player earns a spot on the offseason roster.
In addition to the three quarterbacks on the roster, Denver also has Colorado School of Mines standout John Matocha set to participate in the weekend minicamp as a tryout player.
DiNucci is an example of how beneficial this rookie minicamp weekend can be for players, even if they’re not technically rookies. He appeared in three games for Dallas in 2020 but then bounced around before putting together a standout season for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL last spring. He parlayed that performance into a minicamp tryout invite from Denver, was signed immediately after that and then spent the entire 2023 NFL season on Denver’s practice squad.
Three Broncos picks agree to terms: The Broncos on Wednesday also began finalizing contracts for their 2024 draft class.
They agreed to terms with a trio of Day 3 draft picks in fifth-round running back Audric Estime, seventh-round wide receiver Devaughn Vele and seventh-round offensive lineman Nick Gargiulo, a source told The Post.
They are the first picks to get their contracts agreed to. Typically drafted rookies actually sign their contracts when they arrive for minicamp. For Denver, that’s Thursday for the May 10-13 rookie minicamp.
The trio are the first of Denver’s seven draft picks to agree to terms. Players who don’t sign before minicamp often participate by signing a waiver. That’s a possibility for third-round edge Jonah Elliss, considering he may not be a full participant after winter shoulder surgery.
Estime’s slot value as the No. 147 overall pick, according to OvertheCap data, is a four-year contract worth $4.359 million with a $339,120 signing bonus.
The slot value for Vele at No. 235 overall is a four-year, $4.124 million deal with a $104,480 signing bonus. For Gargiulo at No. 256, the penultimate pick of the draft, it’s four years and $4.1 million with an $80,732 signing bonus.
The four unsigned draft picks remaining: first-round QB Bo Nix (No. 12 overall), Elliss (No. 76), fourth-round WR Troy Franklin (No. 102) and fifth-round corner Kris Abrams-Draine (No. 145).
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