The Kansas City Chiefs have traded veteran running back Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans for offensive lineman Martinas Rankin.
The Kansas City Chiefs have cleared out a bit of the competition in the offensive backfield with a reported trade that will send Carlos Hyde to the Houston Texans, per NFL reporter Terez Paylor of Yahoo! Sports.
The Chiefs will receive offensive lineman Martinas Rankin in return for Hyde, giving the Texans a veteran back and the Chiefs a developmental lineman. The Chiefs will save just over $1 million in cap space thanks to the trade.
Hyde joined the Chiefs this offseason as a veteran signing to partner with Damien Williams in the wake of the release of Kareem Hunt. Brett Veach signed him to a one year deal worth nearly $3 million after also extending Williams. However, the rest of the offseason would see Williams and Hyde’s stock divide over time.
The Chiefs also have Darrel Williams already on the roster and added Darwin Thompson in the draft’s sixth round. Throughout the preseason, Thompson in particular has been impressing coaches with his ability to not only move the chains but also catch the ball out of the backfield and pick up the offense. The one-year wonder at Utah State was touted as a steal, but it’s clear he’s been tasked with even more than expected in his rookie campaign.
Hyde, meanwhile, was relegated to playing with the fringe players on the roster in the team’s most recent and final preseason game against the Packers. The writing was on the wall that Hyde simply didn’t have a major role to play in K.C. after all.
As for Hyde’s place with Houston, the Texans are working on replacing Lamar Miller’s reps on offense after losing the Pro Bowl back to a torn ACL.
Rankin joins the Chiefs just one year after the Texans selected him in the third round of the NFL Draft. A former Mississippi State product, Rankin played in all 16 games and started four last season at left guard and tackle. Some scouts believed his best pro spot might be center.