Top 5 former 49ers who remain unemployed in NFL free agency

Former 49ers player No. 4: Running back Carlos Hyde

There are probably a few Niners fans out there who still can’t help but wonder what their second-round pick from the 2014 NFL Draft, running back Carlos Hyde, could have turned into if the team didn’t totally hit a tailspin during the following season en route to complete mediocrity.

Hyde spent one year with the current regime under head coach Kyle Shanahan, 2017, of course. But since then, he’s been little more than a journeyman tailback, spending stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and then again with Jacksonville in 2021, reuniting with his former head coach at Ohio State, Urban Meyer, only to see Meyer’s tenure there flame out in an even worse way than what happened with San Francisco in 2015.

It sure doesn’t appear as if Hyde is destined to return to the Jags this offseason, and now the 31-year-old veteran is likely looking at mere ancillary work at best, perhaps a late-offseason add for a team that needs depth for training camp.

Considering how promising Hyde’s career was coming out of college, it’s a rather unfortunate and disappointing last few years.