Niner Noise
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5 Reasons why the 49ers won’t release running back Carlos Hyde

By Peter Panacy

Oct 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) warms up prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 2, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) warms up prior to the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports /
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November 2, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs against St. Louis Rams free safety Rodney McLeod (23) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Rams defeated the 49ers 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 2, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) runs against St. Louis Rams free safety Rodney McLeod (23) during the third quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Rams defeated the 49ers 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Putting Carlos Hyde’s “Underachievement” into Context

Looking at the simple stats alone, Carlos Hyde hasn’t exactly earned the “featured back” moniker.

His 4.3 yards-per-carry average isn’t eye popping, and the fact he has yet to reach 1,000 rushing yards in a single season usually is a sign he’s not capable of being a true No. 1.

But let’s look a little deeper into some advanced analytics.

Take a look at this Pro Football Focus stat, where Hyde ranks sixth in 2016 with an average of 3.05 yards after contact:

Mind you, that’s better than guys like Dallas Cowboys tailback Ezekiel Elliott, who ran behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL last year.

More on that in a second, but this additional PFF stat line is worth mentioning too — stemming from the Niners’ Week 14 loss to the New York Jets:

That Jets run defense ranked No. 1 in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric that year, so Hyde’s ability to be a game changer is certainly worth pointing out.

Also of note is Football Outsiders‘ ranking of the 49ers offensive line being dead last in run support.

The difference? Hyde.

What if Hyde had a good O-line. And what if the Niners boasted a more dynamic offense, which would take a lot of the pressure off Hyde to perform?

This leads us to the final reason.