At Notre Dame, running back Audric Estime was fearsome.
Playing with power and strength, exemplified by his Hulk-like arms, Estime was wrecking a ball, mowing down or even leaping over tacklers that stood in his way.
Even with shorts and a practice jersey during the Broncos’ rookie minicamp on Saturday afternoon, the fifth-round pick still looked like an imposing figure that someone wouldn’t want to get in front of when he’s moving at full speed.
The addition of Estime and undrafted rookie free agent Blake Watson has created an interesting competition within Denver’s running back room that will be closely monitored throughout the team’s offseason program and training camp. The Broncos have Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin already under contract. Still, they added two running backs who have the potential to have key roles in Year 1.
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“All these guys, they’re all competing for different roles, spots,” Broncos head coach Sean Payton said. “… I think that we never put a cap on what they’re competing for.”
After the Broncos lacked juice in the run game in 2023, competition was likely needed. Denver finished tied for 21st in yards per carry (four) and 28th in rushing touchdowns (eight). The Broncos rushed for under 100 yards in three of the final four games. Although Williams’ return from a torn ACL was remarkable, he averaged 3.6 yards per carry and didn’t surpass 50 rushing yards in the final four games.
Meanwhile, Perine’s game was limited to third downs and being a check down target.
Estime and Watson present two different skill sets that could be beneficial to Denver’s backfield. Estime is a power back who can generate yards after contact. In 2023, he rushed for 1,348 yards and 18 touchdowns, and in the final college game of his career he exploded for 238 yards and four touchdowns in a win at Stanford last November.
He also accumulated 892 yards after contact (4.27 per attempt) and 38 runs for over 10 yards, according to Pro Football Focus. Williams averaged 2.71 yards after contact while Perine had 2.92, according to PFF.
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While Payton values Estime’s power and physicality, he is intrigued by Watson’s pass-catching ability. The former Memphis running back caught 53 passes for 480 yards and three touchdowns, while averaging 9.1 yards per catch.
Payton didn’t want to compare Watson to Saints running back Alvin Kamara, but both players had similar traits coming out of college.
“We saw a player that was (a) natural catching the ball,” Payton said. “That was a big draw. When we read a player, that was a draw to his vision.”
Denver’s running back competition will be one of the biggest ones to watch. Payton said on the last day of the NFL draft that Estime is viewed as a first- and second-down runner. If he flourished in that role during training camp, what happens to Williams and Perine, both of whom are in the final year of their deals?
Last season, the Broncos carried three running backs and fullback Michael Burton on the initial 53-man roster. Denver could very well have four running backs on the roster. Even still, how they split up the carries and roles is entirely up in the air.
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“I want to see it, and then we’ll go by what we see,” Payton said. “That was the case with Jaleel a year ago. He sat here as an undrafted free agent that was going through the workouts, and then pretty soon you began to see it.”
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The Denver Broncos’ run in the NFL Playoffs did not go as planned, but the season was still a success for rookie quarterback Bo Nix, who lived up to expectations as a first-round pick.
While the Broncos season ended on the wrong end of a blowout loss, the future is bright at Mile High.
One of the people who was front and center throughout Nix’s rookie campaign was his wife Izzy Nix, who cheered him on throughout the year and was his biggest support system.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy celebrates rookie NFL season with artsy photo of Broncos QB
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Now that the season is over, Izzy is looking back and reflecting on some of the best moments from Bo’s first year in the league.
She shared the video recap of her rookie WAG season on TikTok.
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy, Broncos WAGs & QBs enjoy matching pj party with hilarious socks
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy swoons over Drake Maye, Ann Michael Hudson engagement pics
Izzy Nix/TikTok
MORE: Livvy Dunne drops epic photodump of rookie WAG season, Paul Skenes
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Izzy Nix/TikTok
What a year it was.
MORE: Bo Nix’s wife Izzy’s epic photo with Zach Wilson’s fiancée, Broncos WAGs after loss
Nix finished his rookie campaign with 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while adding 430 yards and four scores on the ground.
Izzy Nix/Instagram
Izzy and Bo met at Auburn University in the summer of 2020 when he was the team’s star quarterback and she was a cheerleader. The two have been inseparable since and were eventually married in the summer of 2022.
Now that the season is over, Bo and Izzy will get to enjoy some couples getaways to make up for the time they spent apart during the successful year.
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— Enjoy free dish of rich and fabulous players with The Athlete Lifestyle on SI —
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Denver Nuggets (24-16, fourth in the Western Conference) vs. Miami Heat (20-19, ninth in the Eastern Conference)
Miami; Friday, 8 p.m. EST
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BOTTOM LINE: Denver hits the road against Miami aiming to extend its four-game road winning streak.
The Heat are 10-7 in home games. Miami is ninth in the Eastern Conference with 15.1 fast break points per game led by Tyler Herro averaging 3.7.
The Nuggets are 12-8 in road games. Denver is 6-4 in one-possession games.
The Heat are shooting 45.5% from the field this season, 0.9 percentage points lower than the 46.4% the Nuggets allow to opponents. The Nuggets are shooting 50.0% from the field, 4.0% higher than the 46.0% the Heat’s opponents have shot this season.
TOP PERFORMERS: Herro is averaging 24.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and five assists for the Heat.
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Russell Westbrook is scoring 13.2 points per game and averaging 5.1 rebounds for the Nuggets.
LAST 10 GAMES: Heat: 5-5, averaging 109.2 points, 44.0 rebounds, 27.5 assists, 8.0 steals and 4.7 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.9 points per game.
Nuggets: 7-3, averaging 119.7 points, 47.3 rebounds, 30.5 assists, 8.3 steals and 5.5 blocks per game while shooting 49.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 111.9 points.
INJURIES: Heat: Dru Smith: out for season (achilles), Josh Richardson: day to day (heel).
Nuggets: Aaron Gordon: day to day (calf), DaRon Holmes II: out for season (achilles), Nikola Jokic: day to day (elbow), Vlatko Cancar: out (knee).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
It’s official, Denver is getting it’s next major park. CBS News Colorado reported this would come to fruition ahead of the now official announcement on Wednesday.
CBS
Over the past 7 years, the defunct Park Hill Golf Course has inspired turf wars between open space advocates and developers.
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Now, the 155-acre property is back in the hands of the city after Mayor Mike Johnston entered a land swap. The developer gets property to build out in Adams County, and the city gets to create a brand new regional park.
In a land swap deal with developers, the former Park Hill Golf course will become a city park, and residents who have been battling to make this a reality say it is a dream come true.
“I kind of can’t believe it,” said Amy Harris, a longtime advocate for the park and a member of Save Open Space Denver.
The park, which was once a golf course where even some of the best golfers like Tiger Woods had set foot in, will now be a space where residents can enjoy the open space.
For Denver resident Mike Fernandez, it will be a place where he will be able to continue to bird watch.
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“There were a few that I don’t see anywhere else, like songbirds,” Fernandez said. “I was really trying to keep track of that to see the impact if there were development here they would be gone.”
Fernandez says he has tracked 18 different bird species near and around the golf course.
The property is returning to the people after years of advocacy by leaders such as former Mayor Wellington Webb, organizations such as Save Open Space Denver and a number of community members.
“I mean, it’s the best-case scenario,” Harris said. “It’s what we’ve been asking for since the beginning.”
The city looks to work with the community to jot down their long-term vision for the space and design plans for the near future.
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“I think the battle was really bringing folks to the table about the commitment to green spaces and understanding the impacts and the long-term to our climate to long term sustainability,” said Councilwoman Shontel Lewis of District 8.
It was all possible through an acre-for acre land exchange agreement, where Denver will trade undeveloped, industrial property near the airport for the Park Hill property — which is currently owned by Westside Investment Partners.
“There was an internal transfer of about $12.7 million within the city from parks and rec. to the airport that comes from the Park’s Legacy Fund for the acquisition,” Mayor Johnston explained. “The trade is made between Denver and the current owner for this site without any cash payment.”
In 2023, voters rejected a plan to develop the property with housing.
Johnston reassures Denverites the city will continue to work toward developing affordable housing nearby, while maintaining community jewels like this soon-to-be park.
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“We know there’s a housing shortage in Denver,” Johnston said. “We look to add more housing stock; we want to make sure that housing stock is affordable to people living in Denver right now.”
This historic deal in Denver now becomes the largest single city acquisition of private land for a public park.
“What we need to do today is celebrate that we maintain the Park Hill Golf Course in Denver for Denver,” Webb said.
Johnston now looks to work with Adams County commissioners and Denver City Council to approve the land exchange and begin the process. City officials say the new park is expected to be open to the public by this summer.
“I cant wait for the time where we can all gather together in the park when it’s really park and get to celebrate together,” Harris said.
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