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.<\/p>\n
That began to feel inevitable when the former Notre Dame product didn\u2019t get a jersey against the Buffalo Bills in the playoffs last year. He was a surprise inactive<\/a>, not a good sign for a a fifth-round pick to cap off his rookie year.<\/p>\n And let\u2019s 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\u2019t seize a starting job that on paper could\u2019ve been his, pretty much doing the exact opposite. Estime was essentially a non-factor.<\/p>\n It\u2019s nothing personal, it\u2019s just business \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Payton really tipped his hand when he chose Badie to get a uniform versus the Bills instead of Estime. Badie hadn\u2019t play since a scary injury in New York against the Jets in Week 4<\/a>. That\u2019s how little trust the head coach had in Estime to even suit up that day in Buffalo.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Dobbins will likely be Denver\u2019s 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\u2019s left. That\u2019ll 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Last week was exciting for Broncos Country with the addition of Dobbins. He\u2019s a legitimate starting running back in the NFL when he stays healthy. But that signing becoming official wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n The good news is there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n That\u2019d 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\u2019s going to come with some tough decisions.<\/p>\n And there\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s hope the phones are ringing between today and the beginning of training camp.<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DenverSportsEmail-300x250-1.jpg\")
\t
![](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/DenverSportsEmail-830x100-1.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\n