Just one month, 30 days, until the New Orleans Saints suit up for their 2026 season opener. The Saints are traveling north to begin their season, facing the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. Wearing No. 30 for New Orleans is Audric Estime at running back.
Estime wasn't picked up by the Saints until mid-season last year. However, injuries at running back forced him into a prominent role to close the season. He's now among the heavy competition to fill out the running back depth chart, and is also our Saints Player of the Day.
- Name (age): Audric Estime (22)
- Hometown: Montvale, N.J.
- Position: Running back
- Height, weight: 5-foot-11, 227 pounds
- College: Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Relative Athletic Score: 6.56
- Drafted: Round 5, 147 overall in 2024 (Denver Broncos)
- NFL experience: 2 years
- 2026 salary cap hit: $1.08 million
As a senior at Saint Joseph Regional High School in New Jersey, Estime was the NJ. com Player of the Year with 1,857 rushing yards and 22 scores. He took his talents to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, where he saw very little time as a freshman in 2021 behind future NFL star Kyren Williams. Estime broke out in 2022, leading the Fighting Irish and all independent programs with 920 rushing yards while scoring 12 times. He was even better in 2023, running for 1,341 yards and 18 touchdowns.
With a fifth round choice in the 2023 NFL Draft, Estime was selected by the Denver Broncos and former Saints coach Sean Payton. As a rookie, Estime looked solid in limited touches with 310 rushing yards and 2 scores. However, he was released by Denver at the end of the 2025 preseason. The Philadelphia Eagles would add Estime to their practice squad, but he was released in mid-October without any game appearances. Prior to their Week 8 game, the New Orleans Saints would add Estime to their practice squad. Two weeks later, injuries at running back prompted the Saints to elevate Estime to their active roster.
All of Estime's 58 offensive touches came in the Saints last five games, including 46 rushes for 198 yards and a touchdown. In the last two games of the year, Estime had 157 yards on 35 attempts. That includes 94 during a Week 17 victory at Tennessee, the second highest rushing output of the season for New Orleans.
Audric Estime may not be the dynamic runner that Travis Etienne, Alvin Kamara, or Kendre Miller are. However, he's a rugged back with good vision for the open hole who can push forward for tough yards. Do not overlook Estime pushing for a role on the running back depth chart for the 2026 Saints.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Audric Estime is the Saints Player of Day 30