Former Chiefs running back Carlos Hyde hits open market

The Jacksonville Jaguars have decided to make a few roster moves in advance of NFL free agency becoming the frenzy that it will next week and a familiar face was on the transaction wire in former Kansas City Chiefs running back Carlos Hyde.

Three years ago at this time, the Chiefs decided to sign Carlos Hyde as a way to bolster the backfield in just this same scenario after being released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Fans should not expect to see K.C. take any interest in Hyde this time around, but it’s interesting how familiar the circumstances feel.

At the time Hyde signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs back in 2019, he was supposed to be a primary tandem back with Damien Williams in a backfield that was watching both Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West hit free agency. Throughout the preseason, however, the Chiefs found Darrel Williams to be a greater presence in training camp than expected and Darwin Thompson had also been drafted in the sixth round.

Former Kansas City Chiefs running back Carlos Hyde is going to be a free agent once again.

Instead of keeping Hyde on the roster, the Chiefs went young in the backfield and found a trade partner for Hyde in the Houston Texans. In return, the Chiefs took a chance on a versatile offensive lineman with a spotty injury history in Martinas Rankin. Rankin wouldn’t amount to much for the Chiefs given his own injury issues over time, but he would provide some line depth for K.C. for the next two seasons at least—a span in which the team went to back-to-back Super Bowls.

As for Hyde, he would rebound with 1,000 rushing yards for the Texans—his only such season to date in the pros. He would sign with the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 and then return to the Jags in 2021 before being released in March. In his career, Hyde has rushed 1,225 times for 4,979 yards and 37 touchdowns on the ground.