Mile High Report
It appears the Broncos rookie running back is their new starting running back.
Heading into Sunday’s game vs. the Chiefs, there were whispers and rumors that rookie running back Audric Estime would be more involved in the running game. We have heard that a few times this season, but nothing would come from it. That was not the case yesterday, as Estime led the Broncos backfield and appeared to have replaced Javonte Williams as the starting running back.
Estime led the Broncos backfield with 14 carries for 53 yards. Wide receiver Marvin Mims had 3 carries while Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin combined for 3 carries for 13 yards (Javonte had 1 carry for 1 yard). He also had 26 snaps on offense vs. the Chiefs which was the most by any Broncos back. Javonte had the second most at 17 while McLaughlin had just 7 snaps. As Mike Clay notes in the tweet above, Estime handled 64% of the Broncos designed runs vs. the Chiefs which was the second most by any Broncos back this season.
It appears that Javonte has shifted into the “Samaje Perine role” on offense. He comes in as a pass blocker and will be used as a receiver on occasion. Otherwise, he is not going to see that many carries out of the backfield. McLaughlin continues as the change of pace guy while they mix in Marvin Mims Jr. on occasion.
The thing that stood out to me the most was that the Broncos trusted Estime to carry the ball in the final moments of the fourth quarter when they were milking the clock. If they did not trust him or have faith in him, you would have seen veteran Javonte Williams get those carries. Instead, in a key moment of the game, Sean Payton and the Broncos trusted their rookie running back to get the job done.
The Broncos selected Estime in the fifth round of April’s 2024 NFL Draft and had high hopes for the rookie running back. He had a solid training camp and preseason, but an ankle injury in the season opener would land him on the injured reserve. On top of that, he was suddenly dealing with a fumbling issue. The Broncos coaches and Estime put the work in to hopefully solve that issue and he finally earned a chance to lead the backfield this past Sunday. In this game, he showcased his vision which stood out to me on his Notre Dame film, and gave the Broncos a bit of a boost in their backfield.
With Javonte Williams's struggles this season, Estime had an opportunity to take over the Broncos backfield and I believe he has done that. He is a powerful young back who can bring a much-needed boost to this Broncos offense. Rookie quarterback Bo Nix appears to be the real deal and now giving him a young productive back to work with should be beneficial for the Broncos' offense moving forward.
We’ll see if Estime...
