The Denver Broncos are moving on from running back Audric Estimé, a 5th-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. While the news of the team waiving Estimé isn't the least bit surprising, it's unfortunate given the fact that he was just drafted last year, was graded highly by the team, and was given up on after just one year.
As of the time of this post being written, Estimé has yet to officially hit the waiver wire, but whenever he does officially hit the wire, his next team could not be more obvious.
The Tennessee Titans will almost undoubtedly add Estimé to their 53-man roster before too long, and he could play against the Broncos in Week 1.
Audric Estimé feels destined to be playing for the Titans after Broncos cut him
The Titans are the next obvious destination for Estimé for a couple of reasons. They are the first team on the waiver priority order and will be able to add literally whoever they want on waivers.
The Titans are also dealing with an injury to one of their top backs, Tyjae Spears. Their depth at the running back position is not good, and a player like Estimé could help, if only for the short term.
And then there's the fact that the Broncos and Titans play in Week 1. Everyone is always looking for any competitive advantage they can possibly get, and the Titans getting a player from the Broncos right after roster cuts could help them out, even if it's minimal.
The Broncos gave up on Estimé after just one season with the team, but this has likely been brewing for quite some time. We saw Estimé in the proverbial doghouse last season as well and it culminated with him being a healthy scratch for the team's playoff game against the Buffalo Bills.
Nobody knows everything that went on behind the scenes, but football-wise, Estimé showed some ability between the tackles at times, but struggled with fumbles and wasn't an all-around threat for the offense. He was a really exciting prospect for his ability to create yards after contact, but that wasn't something that shined when he got to the NFL.
Maybe he just wasn't a good fit for what Denver is doing right now, but the team obviously felt like it needed to completely overhaul the position, and it's telling that Estimé wasn't kept over guys like Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie.
And now, it might not be long before the Broncos see him again.