ENGLEWOOD – It’s only May but competition already has heated up for the Broncos at running back.
The Broncos last month selected burly Notre Dame back Audric Estime in the fifth round of the draft and signed highly regarded Memphis back Blake Watson after he surprisingly went undrafted. They are showing their stuff at this weekend’s rookie minicamp.
Once organized team activities get underway May 21, they will be joined by holdovers from last season Javonte Williams, Samaje Perine and Jaleel McLaughlin.
“I want to be able to compete with the best of the best,’’ Estime said after Saturday’s second practice of the minicamp at the Centura Health Training Center. “We’ve got really good guys and it’s really good they’re going to bring the best out of me.”
Estime rushed for 1,341 yards last season Watson gained 1,152. Watson was projected by many analysts to be a day-three draft pick.
“Definitely a chip on my shoulder,’’ Watson said of not being selected. “But I’m past that now. … You got to get your competitive juices going.”
Watson, who also caught 53 passes last season, said he’s a “do-it-all-type of guy.” Estime offered a similar assessment of himself.
“I’m a versatile back,’’ he said. “I’m a back that can do it all. I’m a back that can go over you, I can make you miss and I can go around you.”
The Broncos have flexibility at running back with Williams and Perine having no guaranteed money in 2024 on what is the final year of contracts for both. Denver coach Sean Payton doesn’t deny there will be plenty of competition.
“All these guys, they’re all competing for different roles, spots, roster,’’ he said. “I think we never put a cap on want (Estime and Watson) are competing for. I want to see, and then we’ll go by what we see.”
Comfortable Crum
Wyoming tackle Frank Crum figured he would be drafted last month and he wasn’t. But everything seemingly has turned out OK.
“The situation worked out the best for me and I’m really happy for it,’’ said Crum, who signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent. “That’s for dang sure. Coming in, I think we expected to get drafted but the situation with Denver and Coach Payton, it’s a great deal that we got going on here.”
Payton said Crum was a top Broncos target after he wasn’t drafted and it took some time to finally land him.
“He was, I think, the last recruited free agent we signed,’’ Payton said. “It took us probably two hours. We were all ready to go home, and we kept turning to the scouts and we were like, ‘Where are we at with Crum?’ He had traits we liked: toughness, intelligence. We thought he had good feet.”
Crum said offensive line coach Zach Streif played a key role in his choosing to sign with Denver. He called him “one of the best in the league.”
Matocha gets a look
Quarterback John Matocha, who starred at Colorado Mines, was thrilled to be among 25 rookies invited to the minicamp as tryout players.
“Just doing anything that the coaches ask me and take advantage of any opportunity that I get,’’ he said. “I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”
Matocha is college football’s all-time touchdown leader, having thrown for 162 and run for 29.
“I went into the quarterback meeting, and I was just having fun with Bo (Nix),’’ Payton said, referring to the Broncos rookie quarterback taken No. 12 in the draft. “I said, ‘I want to talk to the quarterback that has 160 touchdown passes and he rushed for 30.”’
Payton called Matocha “fun to work with,” adding he is “sharp” and “smart” with “a lot of energy.”
Other rookie tryout players on hand from Colorado colleges are guard Oliver Jervis and outside linebacker Tony Pierce Jr. from Colorado State and safety Jayden Goodwin from Air Force.
Roster rundown
There are 56 players at the minicamp. In addition to the 25 rookies trying out, there are seven draftees, 13 signed college free agents, two pro tryout players and nine players from last year’s practice squad.
Invited as pro tryout players were linebacker Ty Summers and fullback Matthew Jester.
“It was an actual opportunity for me,’’ said Summers, a five-year veteran. “I’m not one to sit around.”
The holdover players eligible to participate are Tyler Badie, cornerback Art Green, defensive lineman Jordan Jackson, tackle Demontrey Jacobs, safety Devon Key, linebacker Durrell Nchami, guard Will Sherman, defensive back Keidron Smith and cornerback Reese Taylor.
The Broncos worked Saturday on the NFL’s new kickoff rules, with Badie playing a big role as a returner.
“Significant is a modest word for that,’’ Payton said about how important the new rules are.
Source: Broncos competition at running back heating up with additions of Audric Estime, Blake
