Carlos Hyde has been the most-talented player on an otherwise talent-stricken San Francisco 49ers offense over the past couple seasons. There really hasn’t been anyone close to him in terms of what the running back can bring to the table.
Unfortunately for Hyde, he simply has not been able to stay healthy throughout his career in Northern California. Despite putting up nine touchdowns and averaging a robust 4.6 yards per rush last season, he missed three more games to injury. That brought Hyde’s total of games missed to 14 in just three seasons.
Now, entering his first training camp with Kyle Shanahan as San Francisco’s head coach, it doesn’t look like Hyde has secured himself a starting job.
“Very few players have secured their starting jobs for the upcoming season,” CSN Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported on Tuesday. “Carlos Hyde is not among those.”
This shouldn’t be considered too surprising, especially if we were to read between the lines earlier in the offseason.
Also important to note here, San Francisco selected former Utah running back Joe Williams in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner played huge roles in the 49ers taking that risk.
Remember, Williams retired from football briefly with the Utes after dealing with emotional issues following the anniversary of his sister’s death. That led some to believe he wasn’t fully committed to football. Since then, Williams has impressed the 49ers’ brass big time.
Hyde, 26, is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2017 season. Surely he wants to be the centerpiece of this new offense. But the former second-round pick will have to put in the work to earn the job over Williams.