The Denver Broncos shouldn’t just cut Audric Estime and lose him for nothing at the end of training camp.
GM George Paton and head coach Sean Payton should be working the phones, trying to a get a late draft pick back for Estime and find him a new home.
That is the writing on the wall after the Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins last week, joining the running back room with rookie RJ Harvey, Jaleel McLaughlin, Blake Watson, Tyler Badie and Estime.
Dobbins and Harvey are locks to make the 53-man roster. McLaughlin brings a unique skill set and more speed than most of the other guys. Badie and Watson are practice squad candidates with some unknown potential. Estime is simply the odd man out.
That began to feel inevitable when the former Notre Dame product didn’t get a jersey against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs last year. He was a surprise inactive, not a good sign for a a fifth-round pick to cap off his rookie year.
And let’s be honest, it was an underwhelming campaign from Estime in a weak Broncos running back room. He rushed for only 310 yards on 76 carries. He had as many fumbles as touchdowns, with two each. He didn’t seize a starting job that on paper could’ve been his, pretty much doing the exact opposite. Estime was essentially a non-factor.
It’s nothing personal, it’s just business — and this is how the NFL works. Estime could use a change of scenery already, and Paton and Payton can fire another dart next spring with an additional sixth-round or seventh-round draft pick.
Payton really tipped his hand when he chose Badie to get a uniform versus the Bills instead of Estime. Badie hadn’t play since a scary injury in New York against the Jets in Week 4. That’s how little trust the head coach had in Estime to even suit up that day in Buffalo.
Some team out there has to want to take a chance on him, right? There is almost no NFL work on those legs, he came from a big-time college program and every coaching staff loves a reclamation project.
Dobbins will likely be Denver’s Week 1 starter, earning about 50 percent of the carries. Harvey figures to get 35 percent or so, leaving just a few touches per game for whoever’s left. That’ll likely be McLaughlin, with Watson or Badie a potential candidate to make the 53-man roster if the Broncos keep four running backs out of the gate like they did last year.
Last week was exciting for Broncos Country with the addition of Dobbins. He’s a legitimate starting running back in the NFL when he stays healthy. But that signing becoming official wasn’t a good day for Estime. Clearly, after just one professional season, the front office and coaching staff has already lost a little (or a lot of) faith in him.
The good news is there’s 31 other teams out there, and you can bet a GM or two had Estime on their board before the Broncos drafted him in 2024. Someone should be willing to give up a Day 3 pick to secure his services.
That’d be best for both sides. Estime can get a shot at a larger role somewhere else, while the Broncos start to narrow down their running back room that’s going to come with some tough decisions.
And there’s no need to drag this on. If Denver is going to move on from Estime at the end of August one way or another, they should just do it now.
Let’s hope the phones are ringing between today and the beginning of training camp.