A Young RB3 Candidate Is Now Available for the Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings have made their first moves to trim down the number of rostered players from 91 to 53 by Tuesday, 3 p.m.
At the running back position, undrafted rookie Tre Stewart was axed after an underwhelming preseason. He produced ridiculous numbers at Jacksonville State, but that apparently didn’t translate to the big league.
A Young RB3 Candidate Is Now Available for the Vikings
Aaron Jones is set as RB1, and Jordan Mason is RB2, although some would describe him as RB1b. Behind the duo, however, there’s a competition between Ty Chandler, last year’s RB3, and practice squad veteran Zavier Scott, who looked more explosive in the preseason.
But what if the Vikings give the nod to neither and instead try to lure a young runner to the Twin Cities? On Monday, the Denver Broncos said goodbye to sophomore Audric Estime. Jordan Schultz reported, “Sources: The #Broncos are waiving RB Audric Estime.”
He’s still only 21 years old, but the Denver Broncos have a deep running back room, and Sean Payton went with some other guys.
John Heath of Broncos Wire noted, “Denver added veteran J.K. Dobbins during free agency this spring and they used a second-round draft pick to select RJ Harvey. The Broncos appear set to go into the 2025 season with Dobbins, Harvey, Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin handling the backfield duties, making Estime expendable.”
Estime is a candidate for Denver’s practice squad, unless, well, someone else pounces. The runner has to clear waivers first, and the other 31 teams could just claim him. Even if he does make it to the open market, someone should be willing to sign the once-promising rusher to the 53-man roster.
In his final year at Notre Dame, Estime recorded 1,341 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, with an excellent yards-per-run average of 6.4. He also added 17 catches for 142 yards. The passing game is not his strong suit by any means, but he is a talented runner.
Estime’s stint with the Broncos started with him landing on IR following Week 1 with an injury suffered in the opener. He then returned, but failed to clinch a significant role in Payton’s strange running back rotation that seemingly went with the hot hand after everyone got a carry or two on the opening drive.
In the offseason, the Broncos drafted R.J. Harvey, who the fantasy football community loves, and signed J.K. Dobbins. Paired with veteran pass-catching weapon Jaleel McLaughlin, there was no more room for Estime just 16 months after he was drafted.
Coming out of college, draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about the then-20-year-old: “Thickly muscled runner capable of wearing out defenses through a heavier workload.”
Estime is listed as 5’11” and 227 lbs, making him a bigger back and hard to bring down. If the Vikings want a Jordan Mason clone from a size standpoint, here’s their chance.
“There were times Estimé played too slowly when forced to process moving pieces up front, but he showed a greater willingness to cut it loose as the season progressed,” Zierlein added. “He’s naturally powerful with adequate foot agility. Estimé doesn’t have the bend to be a one-cut runner but can make reactive cuts to sudden tacklers near the line of scrimmage. If he can hit the gas with a heavier foot, he’ll continue to break tackles and maximize yardage after contact. He’s a better weapon out of the backfield than he might get credit for being, and he could check into the league as part of a two-headed running attack with the ability to shine near the goal line.”
Estime put out some good tape in the preseason finale, dropping a stat line of eight carries for 45 yards and a touchdown. He had Denver’s third-highest offensive PFF grade throughout the preseason.
Cam Akers is available, and Estime could be an option. If the Vikings don’t feel comfortable with Scott or Chandler, there will be options.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.
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