NEW ORLEANS – Broncos running back Audric Estime is hopeful his final audition was good enough Saturday for him to get good news Tuesday.
Estime, in a battle to make the 53-man roster when final cuts must be made Tuesday, carried eight times for a team-high 45 yards and a touchdown and caught one pass for 8 yards as Denver defeated New Orleans 28-19 at the Superdome to conclude the preseason 3-0.
“I’m just blessed to be part of this roster,’’ Estime said. “Hopefully, I’ll be part of the roster going forward. …. Making the team is not up to me, it’s up to the coaching staff. … I feel like I did what I needed to do to put myself in position to be on it, but at the end of the day, (Broncos coach) Sean (Payton) knows what’s best for the team.”
Excluding the possibility of having a fullback, the Broncos will keep either three or four running backs on their initial 53-man roster. Veteran J.K. Dobbins and rookie RJ Harvey are locks to make it and Estime is contending with Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie and Blake Watson for a final spot or two.
McLaughlin, entering his third season, could be in good shape for a spot after having carried three times for 48 yards in Denver’s 27-7 preseason win over Arizona on Aug. 16. McLaughlin wasn’t in New Orleans on Saturday due to his partner, according to Payton, being on the verge of having a baby.
Payton had said Thursday that McLaughlin, who missed practices Wednesday and Thursday, was the new father of a baby girl. However, he said after Saturday’s game that, although he had received a previous voicemail saying that the baby was born, the baby actually had not been entering Saturday. He said he told McLaughlin on Friday to not travel to New Orleans.
“I spoke to him right before (Saturday’s) game,’’ Payton said. “She was in labor, but it’s been a long labor. So hopefully we get some news. But I’m glad that he stayed home.”
Dobbins, Denver’s expected starter, did not play Saturday and in the preseason had no carries and one catch for 4 yards while playing only in the 30-9 win in the Aug. 9 opener at San Francisco. Harvey started Saturday and had three carries for just four yards and one catch for one yard.
Badie had four carries for 14 yards but also had four catches for 31 yards and two kickoff returns for 72 yards, including one for 47 yards. Watson had four carries for 13 yards and three receptions for nine yards before leaving in the second half with a knee injury. The extent of it was not immediately known.
“Good,’’ Payton said of Estime’s performance. “Pretty solid. … I thought Audric did a good job in general.”
Estime was taken in the fifth round by the Broncos in 2024 out of Notre Dame and had 310 yards rushing as a rookie. He was Denver’s only running back to not get any first-half carries in the preseason and he had 14 attempts for 41 yards in the first two games.
“I feel like I did pretty well (Saturday),’’ Estime said. “I feel like I finished the preseason strong but there’s definitely room for improvement.”
Estime’s 5-yard touchdown run gave Denver a 22-9 lead late in the third quarter. He said playing much of the second half was important for him.
“They kept me out there for a good amount of time,’’ he said. “I definitely appreciate that. I felt I showed I can pass protect, catch the ball and run the rock.”
Badie is a native of New Orleans who moved away when he was 5 and Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in August 2005. The Saints had a moment of silence before the game to acknowledge it being 20 years since both Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita. Badie declined to speak to the media after the game.
Payton’s second trip back
Payton’s second trip back to the Superdome wasn’t as emotional as his first one.
Payton was the Saints’ head coach for 15 seasons between 2006-21. He returned to New Orleans on the opposite sideline for the first time last October in a 33-10 win by Denver on Thursday Night Football.
“It is different,’’ Payton, in his third season with the Broncos, said of it being a preseason game. “But yet come back and there’s a lot of people you know. … So it was good. It was good seeing people and good winning. I think it is different when you’re in a regular- season game. Nonetheless, you want to win and do well.”
Three starters sit
The Broncos rested three starters in Dobbins, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and outside linebacker Nik Bonitto. All are expected to be ready for Denver’s Sept. 7 opener against Tennessee.
Greenlaw didn’t play in the preseason after suffering a quad injury in a July 31 practice and Bonitto recently had a procedure to remove a bone spur from his foot. But Greenlaw and Bonitto, who did play in the preseason opener at San Francisco, were full participants in practice during the week.
“He had a great week of work last week,’’ Payton said about Greenlaw. “We feel like he’ll be ready (for the opener).”
Among other players to sit out Saturday, backup quarterback Jarrett Stidham was rested and tight end Nate Adkins, fullback Michael Burton, linebacker Drew Sanders, cornerback Reese Taylor and defensive tackle Kristian Williams have injuries.
Briefly
A week after guard Nick Gargiulo was lost for the season with a torn ACL, tackle Matt Peart played some left guard. Payton said he will “see on the tape” how he looked.
Rookie punter Jeremy Crawshaw, who had a shaky preseason, punted once. It was a line drive that went 42 yards down the middle of the field and was returned for nine yards.
The Broncos went 3-0 in the preseason for the second straight year and had the seventh perfect preseason in team history. … Fullback Adam Prentice, who played for the Saints from 2021-24 and was signed by Denver last Sunday, had one carry for 2 yards.
Saints receiver Devaughn Vele, acquired from the Broncos last Wednesday, didn’t play.