Broncos Rookie RB Gets Medical Procedure, Sean Payton Says

The Denver Broncos came away from the 2024 draft with seven picks, each of which figures to have a chance to make an impact on a roster still in transition. One of those players will have to wait to make a strong impression this offseason, though.

Rookie fifth-round running back Audric Estime went down with an apparent injury during one of the team’s OTAs.

Head coach Sean Payton was direct in explaining just what Estime is dealing with.

“I’ll just be honest with Audric,” Payton told reporters on May 30. So we went ahead had a PRP [platelet-rich plasma injection], we did a small scope procedure – just to make sure everything’s clean. It is. He’ll be available to start training camp. So we won’t see him working through the rest of these OTAs. But on the conservative side, he’s going to be just fine. It was all good news. And he’ll stay in rehab, but he’ll be full go at the start of training camp.”

The Broncos have one more session of OTAs from June 3-6. They will reconvene for mandatory minicamp from June 11-13 with training camp coming in mid-to-late July through mid-August.

It is a blow in the interim for a backfield that could use some rejuvenation with incumbents Jovante Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. Estime is a bigger-bodied runner who could fill a similar role to former New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram.

A three-year performer at Notre Dame, Estime capped his collegiate career with 1,341 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 210 carries.

He added another 142 yards on 17 receptions, hinting at some passing game versatility.

“Thickly muscled runner capable of wearing out defenses through a heavier workload,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlien wrote pre-draft. “He’s a better weapon out of the backfield than he might get credit for being, and he could check into the league as part of a two-headed running attack with the ability to shine near the goal line.”

That complementary role could be the role Payton and Co. have in mind for him behind Williams, about whom pre-draft concerns have proven prescient.

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Audric Estime Could Form Solid 1-2 Punch With Broncos Teammate

“With just 366 carries under his collegiate belt, Williams hasn’t seen much tread come off the tires,” Zierlien wrote about Williams ahead of the 2022 draft, “but teams might speculate that his running style could lead to some in-season wear and tear.”

Williams tore multiple knee ligaments in 2022, ending his season after just four games.

He made 16 appearances last season, setting a new career-high starting 13 of those games. But he averaged 3.6 yards per tote, the lowest mark of his career.

The group lacks breakaway speed, though undrafted rookie free agent Blake Watson has it. Estime’s absence from the offseason program could be an opportunity for the smaller Watson to disprove some of the pre-draft notions about his capabilities as an interior runner.

As a former wide receiver, he is already a threat out of the backfield in the passing attack.

Watson and Estime have already inspired visions of Ingram and former Saints teammate Alvin Kamara among some fans.

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Riley Moss ‘Tweaked’ Back During Broncos OTA

Estime was not the only Broncos player to get banged up during OTAs. Second-year cornerback Riley Moss was absent from Thursday’s session.

Payton was not worried about Moss either, joking that they both suffered similar maladies.

“He had a muscle spasm in his back. It was still sore today. He’ll probably be back out Monday, so. Today was the first day he missed,” Payton said. “He and I both tweaked something in our backs. But I’m sure they were differently related.”

The second-year corner faces steeper competition this season, with Denver drafting Kris Abrams-Draine in the fifth round this year.

The Broncos also signed veteran Levi Wallace in free agency.

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