Who Should I Start? Carson Steele or Audric Estime

Monday, January 6, 4:42 AM

Kansas City Chiefs running back Carson Steele handled eight carries for 25 yards and two catches for two yards in the 0-38 loss to the Denver Broncos. Steele was the clear lead back for the Chiefs, but he could not do much with his opportunities. The rookie out of UCLA stepped into the lead role with Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt ruled out for this game. Steele averaged just 3.1 yards per carry, but no other Chief carried the ball multiple times in this contest. The next time the Chiefs suit up will be against the winner of the wild card matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Houston Texans. Steele will likely be relegated to his RB3 role when the Chiefs play their next game.

Friday, May 30, 5:30 PM

On Thursday, Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton noted that running back Audric Estime will garner increased opportunities in his second season with the team. "He's a back that requires enough touches," said Payton. "He's going to get those opportunities." The former fifth-round rookie was undoubtedly lacking in opportunities in 2024 -- placing fourth on the team in carries and rushing yards behind backfield mates Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin and quarterback Bo Nix. Estime was a productive player in his final season at Notre Dame, finishing with 1,341 yards and 18 rushing scores in 12 games. However, Denver's recent selection of RJ Harvey in the second round adds formidable competition in the backfield. Harvey is slotted in first on the team's unofficial depth chart, ahead of Estime for now. The latter projects to be more of a traditional short-yardage back due to his larger stature, but Harvey is also a force between the tackles and profiles as a better pass-catcher despite poor pass-protection skills.