The Cleveland Browns traded running back Carlos Hyde to the Jacksonville Jaguars Friday for a 2019 fifth round pick.
It may not be popular, but this trade needed to happen. Carlos Hyde led the Browns in carries and was not all that effective. In fact his 19 carries per game is a career-high and his 3.4 yards per carry is a career-low. It is hard to justify continuing to give Hyde that number of carries considering the end result. If Hyde did not attend Ohio State a lot of Browns fans would not be upset about the trade, however that is not the case. Browns twitter was furious at the deal and let their Scarlet and Grey colored glasses blind them from the truth. Hyde needed to go.
A common theme this season is Hue Jackson stating that Duke Johnson and Nick Chubb needed to get more touches. However Jackson’s track record of claims and failing to back them up occurred time and time again as Johnson and Chubb barely touched the ball. Some will blame Todd Haley, but ultimately Jackson decides who sees the field.
The coaching staff seemed to go out of their way to not play Johnson and Chubb. In a move that eerily mimicked the movie Moneyball, John Dorsey appeared to have enough and trade Hyde. It is entirely possible that his thought process is that coaching staff cannot play Hyde if Hyde is not on the team. Now with Hyde out of the picture the Browns will have no choice, they will have to give the ball Johnson and Chubb.
Why would the Browns trade their leading rusher?
What it comes down to is the fact that Hyde would not be on the roster next season. There is an out in his contract after the year is up and it is hard to imagine him returning for the final two years of his deal. Cleveland has two young capable running backs on their team now and Hyde is getting ever closer to the doomsday age of 30 for players at his position.
Getting a fifth-round pick from a team like Jacksonville who appear to be desperate for a running back is a steal. John Dorsey worked his magic, got out of the contract and got a draft pick in return. Now the Browns will showcase Johnson and Chubb in their offense and Hyde gets a chance to flourish elsewhere. At the end of the day everyone wins. Cleveland will get to use their younger ballcarriers and Hyde gets to play for a contender.
