Estime - gets injury settlement from the Saints

Sux, many thought he moved ahead of Kamara before the injury.

Good luck on your next opportunity, Audric Estime. ESPN's Katherine Terrell reported Tuesday that the New Orleans Saints waived the running back from injured reserve with an injury settlement, giving Estime the opportunity to play for another team once he's finished recovering from a thigh injury.

It's disappointing to see him move on after Estime ran hard throughout the summer, appearing to move ahead of guys like Kendre Miller and CJ Donaldson on the depth chart. But he got hurt at the wrong time and other options have emerged with Alvin Kamara getting healthy and Donaldson making a role for himself as a position-flexible blocker and short-yardage specialist. Miller was a healthy scratch in Week 2's upset win over the Baltimore Ravens. With Zamir White on the practice squad and Travis Etienne Jr. still on top of the depth chart (in theory; Alvin Kamara got more touches against the Ravens), the team must have felt comfortable letting Estime walk away.

How do injury settlements work? Teams will make players an offer to match the salary they would have missed while on injured reserve, sometimes going to arbitration after the player seeks a second opinion on their recovery time. By essentially buying out the contract, teams can lighten the workload on their medical staff while giving the player a chance to suit up for another team once healthy. Estime will continue his rehab on his own but gets some money up front. It's possible he could re-sign with the Saints after getting the medical green light, but NFL rules require players to wait an extra three weeks after the settlement terms expire before they can go back to the same team. That encourages players to seek work elsewhere and prevents teams from cheating the injured reserve rules. So if Estime's settlement pays him for six weeks of recovery, he could re-sign with the Saints until nine weeks have passed.