The Philadelphia Eagles are signing free agent running back Audric Estimé to their practice squad, according to a report from NFL insider Jordan Schultz.
Estimé, who turns 22 years old on September 6, played college football for Notre Dame before being selected by the Denver Broncos with a fifth-round pick (No. 147 overall) in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As a rookie, Estimé got hurt in Week 1 and landed on injured reserve until being activated in October. He ultimately made one start in 13 games played. He logged 76 rushing attempts for 310 yards (4.1 average) and two touchdowns. He also caught all five of his targets for 27 yards. He fumbled twice.
Estimé clearly fell out of favor with Sean Payton, as highlighted by our associates over at Mile High Report:
This is not a huge surprise due to Estime falling out of favor with the Broncos. The former 5th-round pick came to the team with lots of hype and was given an opportunity to shine. That never happened, and he was later a healthy scratch for the Broncos’ wildcard game vs. the Bills. On top of that, the team would go out and draft R.J. Harvey in the 2nd round and then sign veteran running back J.K. Dobbins. Both of those additions changed the running back room significantly. Estime’s fall from grace became apparent when he was clearly last on the depth chart throughout camp and the preseason before eventually being waived by the team.
Now in Philly, Estimé figures to be the fourth running back option behind Saquon Barkley, Will Shipley, and AJ Dillon. The Eagles are more interested in his upside than the Broncos ended up being.
BGN’s Ben Natan had Estimé as his third-ranked running back in the 2024 NFL Draft:
What he does well: Audric Estime is a big, powerful back that can outrun defenses at his top gear. While he has some home run ability to him, his strong running style allows him to gain tough yardage early in the play. Where he can Improve: Estime is more of a classic power back in a lot of ways. His straight line speed is more than enough, but he doesn’t have a lot of wiggle to him. He is also not a proven pass catcher, though he does a good job in pass protection. Pro Comparison: Chris Carson
BGN’s Jonny Page was relatively lower on Estimé, ranking him as his RB8:
Summary: A physical early-down bruiser who will provide a team with a no-nonsense inside runner, but he lacks the fluidity, agility, or speed to be anything more than an early-down hammer. Eagles Thoughts: I wouldn’t look at Estimé, unless the Eagles want a bruiser on day 3 to take on some short-yardage stuff and give Barkley a rest. Jalen Hurts plays such a big role in short yardage, which is why I have Estimé, quite low on my list, despite liking the skill set of the player.
Yet another pre-draft scouting report via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
Thickly muscled runner capable of wearing out defenses through a heavier workload. 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. 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.
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