Broncos Open Return Window for RB Audric Estime, CB Damarri Mathis

Both are eligible to play in Week 6.

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (37) celebrates his touchdown in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos designated running back Audric Estime and cornerback Damarri Mathis to return from injured reserve, the team announced Wednesday.

Denver now has 21 days to formally activate Estime and Mathis to the 53-man roster or leave them on IR for the remainder of the season. Both players practiced Wednesday, getting in full sessions, and are eligible to play in Week 6.

"You just have to be careful when it comes to reps," head coach Sean Payton said. "What you don't want is someone's up and then they're back down. I think you communicate with [Vice President of Player Health and Performance] Beau [Lowry], his staff, the player and then eventually trust those opinions.”

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A rookie fifth-round pick, Estime was sidelined for the last month due to an ankle injury he sustained in the Broncos' Week 1 loss at Seattle. The Notre Dame product, who missed much of the offseason program after undergoing a knee scope, tallied two carries for 14 yards prior to his most recent malady.

Estime will rejoin a muddied backfield led by Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin, and Blake Watson. He figures to spell Williams on early downs while contributing on special teams.

Mathis also landed on IR with an ankle injury he suffered during the Aug. 25 preseason finale. The third-year pro has appeared in 33 career games and was battling multiple challengers for the CB2 role opposite Patrick Surtain II — a role since cemented by Riley Moss, whom Pro Football Focus rates as the NFL's seventh-best corner.

“It’s been an honor to really watch him grow and become the player that he is today," Surtain said of Moss on Wednesday. "I wouldn’t take full credit into what he’s done because all the work comes from him. His dedication, his grind, his effort and his willingness to work. That’s all up to him. He puts the work in behind the scenes, and a lot of that credit goes to him. For him to be able to display it now in game situations and making plays, I’m very proud of him as a player of what he’s become so far.”

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