Ex-Notre Dame football star has NFL career on pause after just three snaps
There will come a time when former Notre Dame football star Audric Estime will wow NFL fans. That time won't arrive for at least the next four weeks. That's because the running back suffered an ankle injury in his professional regular season debut.
The Denver Broncos placed Estime on the IL earlier this week. The bad news is that he'll miss some time before his rookie season really gets underway.
Broncos are placing rookie RB Audric Estime on injured reserve due to an ankle injury; Estime now will miss a minimum of four weeks.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 11, 2024
The good news is that he won't be missing all that much time. The Broncos put him on the IR for only four weeks. The rules have changed a bit in that regard, and the injured reserve list is no longer a season-ending thing. The ex-Notre Dame football star is going to be able to return to his rookie season eventually.
Though one has to wonder if the injury won't at least knock things a little sideways. The NFL is a tough place and once a player loses their spot in the rotation, it can be hard to get it back.
Former Notre Dame football star puts pause on rookie season
The IR designation will sideline the rookie until at least Week 6. The Broncos used one of their cutdown-day IR-return spots — on cornerback Damarri Mathis — to leave them seven activations. Estime would stand to count toward one of those slots if he is activated from IR after four weeks.
When talking about how they might replace the former Fighting Irish star, the Broncos have Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin as Denver’s primary ball carriers, with rookie undrafted free agent Blake Watson still on the active roster as well. Watson was a healthy scratch in Week 1. The pass-catching back may well need to make his debut against Pittsburgh on Sunday.
The other bummer about all of this is that it continues some injury problems Estime has had since being drafted in the 5th round. During the offseason, he underwent a minor knee procedure that limited his time at OTAs and postponed practices for minicamp. While this slowed Estime’s development, there are reports the Broncos have plans for the running back.
There is some talk that he could eventually be the featured back. After his senior season with the Notre Dame football team, Denver believes he can be a Jerome Bettis type in the Mile High City.