The New Orleans Saints have already used a variety of running backs in the first two weeks of the 2026 NFL season.
Audric Estime is now particularly unlikely to be added to that list.
The Saints waived Estime on Tuesday with an injury settlement:
The Saints released Audric Estime from injured reserve with an injury settlement
— Nick Underhill (@nick_underhill) September 22, 2026
An injury settlement is essentially a way for a player to get some of the pay he would’ve gotten if healthy from the team that is instead cutting him because he can’t play. The idea is to keep the player propped up to an extent before he’s able to sign with a new team.
The amount of the settlement depends on the type of injury, the player’s previous contract and how long the absence is expected to be, but it’s a good mechanism the NFL has in place that the Saints were able to use here.
Audric Estime Stats
Estime has appeared in 20 NFL games in his career and run 122 times for 508 yards and three touchdowns.
He was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos out of Notre Dame.
Estime played in 13 games as a rookie and ran 76 times for 310 yards and two scores. He also caught five passes for 27 yards.
The Broncos evidently weren’t convinced, because they cut ties with him after just one season.
The Saints picked Estime up and got him into seven games in 2025 as he ran 46 times for 198 yards and a score. He also caught 12 passes for 103 yards.
Estime remained with the Saints into the offseason and had at least a conceptual shot to factor into this year’s depth chart.
Instead, Estime wasn’t active for either of the first two weeks of the season. It’s not exactly clear when he may have gotten hurt, but evidently the Saints didn’t feel he was ready to factor into what is suddenly a deep RB room for them.
RB Depth Chart
The Saints have had four different running backs active already through the first two weeks of the season.
Travis Etienne is the big-money signing (4 years, $52 million) and conceptually the top back on the depth chart.
Alvin Kamara is the veteran who saw a surprising amount of work over Etienne in his Week 2 return from injury.
Kendre Miller got nine carries in Week 1 but was inactive for Week 2, meaning he actually is probably now behind the undrafted rookie CJ Donaldson out of Ohio State, who can also play in the fullback spot.
Estime, even if healthy, would’ve had a tough time breaking into this group at the moment.
Saints Cut Ties With 508-Yard RB After Injury