5 Reasons why the 49ers won’t release running back Carlos Hyde
By Peter Panacy
San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has been the subject of speculation regarding his future with the team. But let’s put to rest any wonder if the Niners will part ways with him before the 2017 season.
Yes, the San Francisco 49ers may be growing impatient with running back Carlos Hyde.
DraftAnalyst.com’s Tony Pauline reported the Niners were possibly preparing to move on from Hyde last April, prompting San Francisco’s new general manager, John Lynch, to essentially say, “not quite yet.”
Indeed, Hyde has been a relatively frustrating commodity since being taken in Round 2 of the 2014 NFL Draft. He’s never crested 1,000 rushing yards on a season, and each one of his starting campaigns has been marred by one injury or another.
San Francisco 49ers
And yet the Niners would be foolish to part ways with him. Especially now.
True, no one’s job on a 2-14 team should be safe. The only way to change a team’s record, like that of the 49ers last year, is to change the team (thank you, James LeBreton).
All this opens up conjecture Hyde should be on the hot seat. He may not fit into head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone scheme. And if those injuries continue to be a problem, it might simply be easier for this new coaching staff to hand over the reigns to someone else.
The presumed choice would be rookie tailback Joe Williams.
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Williams has a legitimate shot at unseating Hyde as the team’s No. 1 running back right away. After all, Williams is the hand-picked runner for this new regime.
Unseating Hyde is one thing. Releasing Hyde is another. And here are five reasons why the latter won’t happen.