Grading the Carlos Hyde Trade

“Carlos Hyde” Erik Drost is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Earlier today, the Cleveland Browns traded starting RB Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Below is a quick breakdown of what each team received in the trade.

Jacksonville Jaguars: Receive RB Carlos Hyde

Cleveland Browns: Receive 5th-round pick

Was this one of those mind blowing trades we all love so much? No. However, it is one of the few trades we’ve seen to this point in the season. It also involves a name almost every NFL fan knows, which means it deserves to be graded. Below you’ll find my trade grades, along with a breakdown of how the trade impacts each team.

 

Jacksonville Jaguars

Leonard Fournette has played in two of the Jaguars’ six games this season. In those two games, Fournette has a total of 20 carries for 71 yards and 0 TDs. We all know the impact Fournette can make. Look at his stats from his rookie season: 1,040 rushing yards and 9 TDs. He also added 302 yards and a TD through the air. Fournette carried the Jaguars on offense plenty of times last season.

With this offense really built around him, the Jaguars were hoping he’d be able to do that again this year. Unfortunately, Fournette hasn’t been healthy all season long. Even in the two games he played in, he wasn’t making the same impact as last year. With Fournette continuing to be out, the Jaguars’ offense continues to be without a real rushing threat.

This is the reason why they made the trade for RB Carlos Hyde. The Jaguars are hoping Hyde can step in and at least somewhat fill the role of Leonard Fournette until he gets fully healthy. So far on the season, Hyde has received 114 carries. With those 114 carries, Hyde has rushed for 382 yards and 5 TDs with an average of 3.4 yards per carry.

Those are decent numbers, but in my opinion, they’re not going to fill the shoes of Leonard Fournette enough to get the Jaguars’ offense back on track. T.J. Yeldon has received the bulk of the carries while Fournette has been out. His numbers on the season look like this: 67 carries for 299 yards and 1 TD with an average of 4.5 yards per carry.

Honestly, Carlos Hyde’s numbers aren’t an upgrade from those of T.J. Yeldon’s. Hyde has more rushing TDs, but he has also received about twice as many carries. As a bigger back, Hyde may be more valuable around the goal line, but overall, he’s not a real improvement for the Jaguars.

With that being said, this is a nice depth move while Fournette is out. The Jaguars gave up a fifth round pick for Hyde, so it wasn’t anything hefty, which is good. Will Carlos Hyde get enough production to be worth a fifth round pick? Yes. Will he give them enough production to help the offense get back on track without Fournette? Probably not.

Grade: B

 

Cleveland Browns

Cleveland traded away starting RB Carlos Hyde. Usually that’s not the best thing to do, but in this case it was probably the best long term move they could have made. Cleveland drafted RB Nick Chubb in the most recent NFL Draft. Chubb has been playing the backup role the entire season because Hyde was there, but now it’s time for the rookie to step in as the starter.

With limited carries so far this season (16), Chubb has rushed for 173 yards and 2 TDs. His average yards per rush currently sits at 10.8. That number will likely come down as the season goes on, but it does tell us something very important about Chubb as a RB. It tells us that Nick Chubb is a better playmaker than Carlos Hyde.

As mentioned above, Carlos Hyde is averaging 3.4 yards per rush this season. Chubb has an average that’s 7.4 yards per carry better than that right now. Hyde has multiple big time rushes this season. One rush went for 63 yards, with another going for 41. Carlos Hyde’s longest run of the season? 22 yards.

Cleveland may have shipped away their starter and depth at the position, but the best RB is still there. Keep an eye on Nick Chubb as the season goes on. He’s going to get a lot more carries and should continue making the most of them. Duke Johnson Jr. is still there, but he’s more of a receiving back, so I’d be very surprised if Nick Chubb doesn’t get the bulk of the carries.

Cleveland is now going with the young back who has loads of potential and is already showing it. By trading Carlos Hyde, they got a fifth-round pick, which may or may not turn into something relevant. Still, a draft pick is a draft pick, and you never know what can come from it.

The Browns continue to make the right moves for their future. This was a good trade for them.

Grade: A