Seahawks sign running back Carlos Hyde from the Texans

Carlos Hyde (Jeffrey Beall, Wikimedia Commons)

According to Grant Cohn of Sports Illustrated on Sunday, the Seattle Seahawks signed running back Carlos Hyde of Cincinnati, Ohio from the Houston Texans to a contract. The terms of the deal are for one season and worth up to $4 million per year.

The Seahawks become the fifth team that Hyde has played for in his National Football League career. In addition to the Texans, he has played for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars.

Hyde became expendable because the Texans have decided to go with David Johnson of Memphis, Tennessee at running back. Johnson, the 2016 Pro Bowler, was traded from the Arizona Cardinals to the Texans for all-star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on March 16.

In 2019, Hyde had 245 rushes for 1070 yards and six touchdowns. He also had 10 catches for 42 yards in Houston. The 1070 yards rushing were a career-high.

It is interesting that Hyde is third on the Seahawks depth chart at running back according to ESPN. It is not that surprising that he is behind Chris Carson of Biloxi, Mississippi, but it is surprising that Hyde is behind Rashaad Penny, who has been placed on the Physically Unable to Perform List by Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll. Penny is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2020 NFL season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in week 14 of the 2019 NFL regular season.

With Hyde now in the Seahawks backfield, one could make the safe argument that Marshawn Lynch will not join the Seahawks for a third time. Lynch came out of retirement near the end of the 2019 season as Seattle had numerous injuries to the running back position. Lynch is now an unrestricted free agent.