SANTA CLARA, Calif. \u2014 The last time the world should\u2019ve seen Audric Estime, they didn\u2019t see him.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s a hard man to miss. The biggest running back on Denver\u2019s roster, after all. The Broncos spent a fifth-round pick on him in 2024 for this 227-pound frame. And yet in the most prominent game of his rookie year \u2014 a week after he picked up 12 carries against the Chiefs \u2014 head coach Sean Payton scratched him for the Broncos\u2019 wild-card game at Buffalo.<\/p>\n
It was a blow to his backfield standing. It was an unceremonious end to a rookie year that waxed and then waned. But seven months later, the 21-year-old Estime has little time to think about the past. He\u2019s currently fighting for his Broncos life to stay visible in Denver.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo comment on that,\u201d Estime responded Saturday night when asked if the Buffalo scratch surprised him.<\/p>\n
Did it give him any sort of motivation this offseason, he was asked a couple of questions later.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not going to lie to you, I haven\u2019t really thought of that,\u201d Estime said. \u201cBecause last year was last year. That\u2019s in the past. I just saw new opportunities \u2014 2025 is a new season, and I was just focused on that this whole offseason.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd as of right now, I honestly don\u2019t remember that.\u201d<\/p>\n
His reward for turning a new leaf was the Broncos turning one, too. In Saturday\u2019s preseason game against San Francisco, the first taste of a new-look backfield that features rookie RJ Harvey and free-agent J.K. Dobbins, Estime was fifth in line for reps. Behind Jaleel McLaughlin, the 2023 undrafted free agent who\u2019s become a Payton regular. Behind Tyler Badie, a one-time practice-squad signee.<\/p>\n
Still, the 21-year-old Estime emphasized there was \u201cno frustration\u201d from him on Denver\u2019s backfield additions.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m just blessed to be in this position,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just gonna keep fighting, and keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n
After he picked up just 21 yards on a team-high eight carries in the second half Saturday, Estime\u2019s path to a roster spot is tricky. He offers one specific trait that nobody else in the room quite has: sheer power. He put rookie linebacker Jordan Turner through the grass on one training camp rep. He runs with a style, as Payton said, \u201ca little bit more forward, a little heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n
He is big and powerful, Estime affirms. But he also doesn\u2019t want to constrain his game. And on Saturday, he showed a flash of something the world hadn\u2019t seen last year: a 20-yard catch-and-run, making a San Francisco defender whiff in space.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe able to be out there on third down, be able to run routes, be able to catch the ball, I feel like I can do it at a high level,\u201d Estime said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not a fluke. Estime\u2019s been working out of the backfield on dump-offs all camp. It\u2019s a product of this offseason, when Estime reviewed his tape from a five-catch rookie year. He consulted his trainers. He consulted Broncos running backs coach Lou Ayeni. He came away feeling he\u2019d grown every area of his game, and a key metaphysical belief, too.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust be more confident in myself,\u201d Estime said, \u201cand know that you can do whatever is required of you.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd I can do it in this league. I can be a three-down back.\u201d<\/p>\n
The question is whether he can do it in Denver. Dobbins was brought in from Los Angeles specifically because\u00a0he can be a three-down back. He has veteran traits in pass-protection and between-the-tackles shiftiness. Harvey got the lion\u2019s share of early reps Saturday, particularly outside-zone carries that let the rookie attack the edge of San Francisco\u2019s defense.<\/p>\n
\u201cMore reps I get, the more comfortable I am,\u201d Harvey told The Denver Post on Saturday night while walking out of the locker room. \u201cAnd I\u2019m just going to keep getting better and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Payton will have to sort out a three-headed change-of-pace mess between McLaughlin, Badie and Watson, all of whom offer their own blends of pass-catching, burst and pass-protection. Estime floats somewhere in the mix, a runner with pedigree carrying the outlines of a three-down back but needing the time to color it in.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe key for us is to make sure that all of those guys,\u201d Payton said on Badie, Watson and Estime, \u201care getting enough reps where they can help us in the end.\u201d<\/p>\n
This August very likely won\u2019t mark the end of Estime in the NFL, one way or another. It will, however, determine his future in Denver.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I definitely got better from last year,\u201d Estime said. \u201cI\u2019m playing faster, and just looking good. Just gotta keep going.\u201d<\/p>\n