Broncos Activate RB Audric Estime among Flurry of Roster Moves

The Denver Broncos made a series of roster moves on Saturday including adding reinforcements to the running back room.

Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime had a strong preseason before being shelved with an ankle injury suffered Week 1. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Denver Broncos have activated fifth-round draft pick Audric Estime from injured reserve, the team reported on Saturday.

Estime was drafted by the Broncos out of Notre Dame to add depth to the running back room as well as provide competition and insurance for Javonte Williams. Williams miraculously returned last season from a knee injury suffered in 2022, but he didn't look like the same back that punished defenders as a rookie in 2021.

At 5'11 and 227 pounds, Estime is of similar style to Williams; he'd just as soon run over as around a defender. He played well in the preseason before suffering an ankle injury in a Week 1 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Estime rushed for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns in just-12 games as a junior for the Fighting Irish last year. He had 19 carries for 63 yards and two touchdowns in three preseason games with the Broncos.

Despite his prolific season with the Irish, Estime fell to the Broncos in the fifth round in large part because of pedestrian-combine numbers. He had a 4.71 forty-yard dash, but showed off his burst and explosion with a 38" vertical jump.

Estime's vertical was fifth-best among running backs at the combine, but he was heavier than the four players ahead of him.

The Broncos will face the LA Chargers on Sunday, riding high on a three-game winning streak. The running game started to show flashes of life in the second half of last week's win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Williams punished Raiders' defenders in the second half, and adding more depth to the room will allow the Broncos to pound opposing defenses with a pair of physical backs.

The team announced several transactions along with the Estime move.

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The Broncos promoted defensive back Tanner McCalister and to the active roster and elevated tackle Cam Fleming and guard Calvin Throckmorton for Sunday's game and placed wide receiver Josh Reynolds and center Luke Wattenberg on injured reserve.

McCalister (#30, 5-11, 191 pounds) is a second-year player from the Ohio State University who has appeared in five career games with Cleveland (2023) and Denver (2024). Signed by Denver as a free agent this past offseason, he has made one special-teams tackle in two games with Denver so far this season.

In his lone season at Ohio State in 2022, McCalister started all 12 games played and tallied a team-high three interceptions (41 yds.) along with 24 tackles (20 solo) . A native of Rockwell, Texas, Tanner McCalister was born Jan. 27, 2000.

Fleming (6-5, 320 pounds) is a 12th-year player from Stanford University who has appeared in 117 career regular-season games (62 starts) and 11 postseason contests (2 starts) with New England (2014-17), Dallas (2018-19), N.Y. Giants (2020) and Denver (2021-23). In his three seasons with the Broncos, Fleming has started 20-of-26 games played at left and right tackle. 

Signed to the team’s practice squad earlier this week, Fleming played in six contests (1 start) for the Broncos in 2023 and saw action in 126 offensive snaps and nine special-teams plays. A native of Fort Hood, Texas, Cam Fleming was born Sept. 3, 1992.

Throckmorton (#76, 6-5, 311 pounds) is a fourth-year player who has started 27-of-46 games played with New Orleans (2021-22), Carolina (2023) and Tennessee (2023). Signed by the Broncos as a free agent this offseason, Throckmorton has completed on the team’s practice squad this year.

Originally entering the NFL as a college free agent with the Saints in 2020, Throckmorton played in nine games (7 starts) with Carolina and Tennessee last season and combined for 565 offensive snaps and 57 plays on special teams. A native of Bellevue, Wash., Calvin Throckmorton was born Aug. 16, 1996.

The game is set for a 2:00 p.m. MT kickoff and will be aired on CBS. The Broncos are considered a 3.0-point underdog by ESPN.