The New Orleans Saints have managed to stay relatively healthy through most of the 2025 season, but Sunday afternoon at the Superdome, their depth at running back was put to the test-and then some.
With Alvin Kamara sidelined due to knee and ankle injuries, and Kendre Miller already out for the year since October, the Saints turned to rookie Devin Neal to shoulder the load. Neal had been a bright spot in Kamara’s absence, but when he pulled up with a hamstring injury in the second quarter against the Panthers, the Saints were suddenly down to their fourth option in the backfield.
Enter Audric Estime.
The second-year back out of Notre Dame has taken a winding road to this moment. A 2024 fifth-round pick, Estime began the year in Denver, then landed on the Eagles’ practice squad before the Saints scooped him up in mid-October following Miller’s injury. On Sunday, he proved why that move might end up being one of the Saints’ most important under-the-radar decisions of the season.
With the game tied and the clock ticking under a minute, the Saints were pinned deep in their own territory. It was second down, the Panthers still had two timeouts, and the pressure was mounting. But instead of playing it safe and punting the ball back to Carolina, head coach Kellen Moore dialed up a screen.
“It was a tricky situation,” Moore said. “They had two timeouts, second down… I felt like we really needed some positive yards there.”
Quarterback Tyler Shough took the snap and quickly floated a screen pass to Estime, who caught it near the right tackle and turned on the jets. The 227-pound back rumbled forward for 19 yards, not just moving the chains but flipping the field and giving the Saints some breathing room.
One play later, Shough went back to Estime-this time over the middle on a checkdown-for a nine-yard pickup. Just like that, Estime had accounted for 28 yards on back-to-back plays, nearly half of what the Saints would need on their eventual game-winning drive.
Statistically, Estime’s day on the ground wasn’t eye-popping-three carries for 11 yards-but his impact through the air was undeniable. He finished with 39 receiving yards, and every one of them came when the Saints needed them most.
For a player often labeled as a downhill bruiser, Estime relished the opportunity to show there's more to his game.
“I like to show that I’m a three-down back and I can play in any style of offense as needed,” he said. “I’m definitely a bruising back, but I don’t like to limit myself and say that’s the only thing that is a part of my game.”
And on Sunday, when the Saints needed someone-anyone-to step up and make a play, Estime didn’t just answer the call. He may have saved their season.