Sean Payton Hints at Broncos Rookie RB Getting More Touches

Get ready to see more of him in the Denver Broncos offense.

Aug 25, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back Audric Estime (37) celebrates his touchdown with wide receiver David Sills V (87) in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at Empower Field at Mile High. / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

After an unmitigated 41-10 beatdown by the Baltimore Ravens, the Denver Broncos came crashing back down to reality. This is a Broncos team that is ahead of schedule relative to expectations, but it's still multiple tiers away from the top of the AFC.

The Broncos were projected to only win 5.5 games before the season. Yet, with eight games to go, Denver should easily surpass Vegas' prediction.

The realistic goal for the 2024 Broncos was always to compete for a playoff spot but also to evaluate and develop the young talent across the roster. Denver is still very much on a good path under head coach Sean Payton, despite the reality check in Baltimore.

Given that the Broncos are 5-4, currently holding onto the last Wildcard spot in the AFC, they must walk the fine line of playing and developing the youth on the roster while maintaining competitiveness down the final half of the season.

The Broncos are attempting to do this with the pass-catchers that they have. With Marvin Mims Jr., Troy Franklin, and Devaughn Vele playing and attempting to carve out a long-term role on the offense, Denver is hoping at least one of its young players can step up and become a viable weapon in one of the least inspiring wide receiver rooms in the league. Even if none of those players become viable for Denver in the passing game, the ability to play and evaluate them will be vital in helping decide where to allocate assets next offseason.

Outside of wide receiver, the other obvious spot the Broncos could look to give youth a larger role the second half of the season is at the running back position. After a rather middling (at best) season from the Broncos’ No. 1 running back Javonte Williams, it might be time for 2024 fifth-rounder from Notre Dame, Audric Estime, to start getting more touches.

In Payton’s Monday morning press conference, he previewed an increase in touches for Estime.

“I think that’s a good and fair question and one that I think I would answer ‘Yes,'" Payton said.  

What happens next on the Broncos beat? Don't miss out on any news and analysis! Take a second, sign up for our free newsletter, and get breaking Broncos news delivered to your inbox daily!

The Broncos have wanted to get Estime more involved this season, but he keeps putting the ball in harm's way and hampering his ability to get more touches. With two fumbles on just 15 touches, he won’t see the field until he proves he can protect the football, but in mop-up duty to close out the loss in Baltimore, he received five carries for 35 yards and did not put the ball on the turf.

Estime was a workhorse back for the Fighting Irish during his time in North Bend, Indiana. Toting the rock 209 times in 2023 for 1,341 yards (6.4 yards avg) and 18 touchdowns, he fell in the draft despite a productive college career.

Estime's subpar athletic testing (a 4.71-second 40-yard dash equating to just the 10th percentile for running backs) was a big reason why. He might not be the most explosive open-field rusher, but showing balance, vision, and strength between the tackles, he could wind up being a large contributor in the Broncos' backfield going forward.

On top of Estime’s fumbles, he also suffered an injury Week 1 that resulted in him spending the next four weeks on injured reserve. It was a setback, but it's time for the young player (just turned 21 years old in September) to get more acclimated to the NFL game. 

Why Estime and why now? Williams has not been a very dynamic runner on the whole this season. Out of the 53 backs with at least 40 carries this season, he ranks 41st in EPA/Rush entering this Sunday’s loss.

Williams' 3.83 yards per carry ranks 38th. His yards after contact per carry ranks 35th, his success rate ranks 29th, and his tackles for loss rate ranks 48th. It would make sense to believe that he is rushing into stacked boxes, given Denver’s deficiency in the passing game, but his average defensive player in the box number ranks 29th in the NFL.

Williams also ranks 45th out of 50 in rushing yards over expectation per attempt from NFL Next Gen Stats. His offensive line is blocking better than yardage indicates.

However, Williams brings tremendous value as a pass protector. Still, being so middling in every rushing metric on the last year of his contract, the Broncos might be prudent to see what they have in Estime before the offseason while hoping to add more “oomph” to the offense.

Regardless of how Estime (as well as McLaughlin) play down the stretch, the Broncos will likely be looking for a running back in the 2025 NFL draft. Touted as one of the best running back draft classes in many years, there could be a large number of backs come off the board in the top 100, such as Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins, Penn State’s Nicholas Singleton, North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton, and many many more.

After two dominating wins over the floundering New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers and featuring one of the top defenses in the NFL and an ascending rookie quarterback in Bo Nix, the hope was that Denver could hang with the top teams in the Conference. Alas, the Broncos will get another chance to answer that question next Sunday on the road versus the Kansas City Chiefs, but for now, it appears this is a playoff-bubble team to watch with plenty of faults.

The Broncos are ahead of schedule competing for a playoff spot despite this past week’s blowout to Baltimore. Denver should not fold the season sitting at 5-4 and hold the No. 7 seed in the AFC.

However, the Broncos must toe the line between playing, developing, and evaluating young players for the growth of the team while maintaining competitive play on the field. As long as Estime can hold onto the football and stay healthy, he has a chance to change the dynamic of the offense in the second half of the season and make a play for a much larger share of the workload the rest of the season and the duration of his rookie contract in Denver.

---

Follow Mile High Huddle on X and Facebook and subscribe on YouTube for daily Broncos live-stream podcasts!