Payton: RB Audric Estime Will Get 'Those Opportunities' in Broncos Offense

Since the 2025 offseason began, all eyes have been fixed on the Denver Broncos' running back position and how the team could improve it. Javonte Williams — the team's starter for the preceding two seasons — was allowed to depart in free agency, signing with the Dallas Cowboys.

Since the NFL draft, all that running back anxiety and scrutiny has been centered on second-round pick RJ Harvey. Perhaps the forgotten man lost in the shuffle is the second-year Audric Estime.

It's been easy to overlook Estime's presence and potential impact, but Broncos head coach Sean Payton made it clear on Thursday that the team's 2024 fifth-round pick out of Notre Dame is going to factor greatly into this offense.

As a rookie, Estime only received 76 carries, rushing for 310 yards (4.1 avg) and two touchdowns. There were a few variables that conspired against him not getting a bigger bite at the apple, including his early-season fumbling issues, but with Williams gone, that sounds like it's going to change in 2025.

"I don't want to say that the grade was incomplete, but they just didn't have enough [touches]," Payton said of Estime and his fellow rookies last year, following Thursday's OTA session. "He's a back that requires enough touches. He's going to get those opportunities."

Payton shared what he's looking for from his 5-foot-11, 227-pound power back in Year 2.

"Just running style," Payton said of Estime. "His physicality, the things that got him drafted, the things that we saw. [It was] a little bit harder for him last year—for a handful of these guys."

The Broncos' running back depth chart isn't as settled as it may have seemed following the Harvey pick. It's still safe to project the rookie as the team's No. 1 running back, but he's clearly going to have to out-earn Estime for snaps and touches.

Payton's running-back-by-committee approach requires a handful of different skill sets. Harvey fulfills the explosive 'joker' type, who can contribute to the passing game, while Estime checks the power back box. Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and 2024 undrafted rookie Blake Watson will compete for the slasher role, which comes as a change of pace and can be just as important in the grand scheme of things.

Estime likely would have had a greater role in the offense were it not for him fumbling twice within his first nine carries. Rocking a rookie quarterback in Bo Nix, Payton's margin for error last season was razor-thin, especially early on, so Estime spent a little time in the doghouse.

However, once Payton felt like Estime had learned his lesson, he was worked back into the running back rotation behind Williams and McLaughlin. From Week 10 on, Estime made an impact as that power grinder, helping to carry the load in Denver's freak loss on the road vs. the Kansas City Chiefs.

Estime's two season-high games from a carries perspective were in Week 10 (14) and Week 18 (12), both vs. the Chiefs. Clearly, Payton identified some vulnerability in Kansas City's defense that screamed for the bruiser to pound the rock.

But that Chiefs defense is championship-caliber, so even though Estime's touch volume increased, it was tough sledding, averaging 3.8 yards per carry in the Broncos' first matchup, and 2.8 in the second. Payton clearly liked what he saw from Estime, but he wants to see more.

Maybe the circumstances will allow Estime to turn in a confident and commanding performance in Year 2 that's more emblematic of his collegiate body of work. With the rookie whirlwind in the books, the stage is set for him to thrive and really show the fans why the Broncos drafted him.

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And don't worry about Harvey. He's not going to get short shrift from Payton, who's been giddy about the former UCF star since the Broncos drafted him.