Carlos Hyde should be released by the Jaguars after 2021

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a stud running back in James Robinson and Travis Etienne should be back in 2022 after missing his rookie campaign with a Lysfranc injury. With Robinson and Etienne forming a dynamic running back tandem, there may no longer be room for Carlos Hyde on the Jags’ roster next year. That’s why the Jags need to strongly consider cutting the ties with the veteran this upcoming offseason.

The Jaguars announced Monday they placed Carlos Hyde and safety Rayshawn Jenkins on the injured reserve list, effectively ending their respective seasons. Hyde suffered a concussion while Jenkins broke his ankle. Fortunately, the team has enough depth to overcome both injuries. Dare Ogunbowale is a serviceable backup running back while defensive coordinator Joe Cullen will use a combination of Daniel Thomas and Andre Cisco at safety.

Jenkins should return to the starting lineup next season. However, Hyde’s status will the team might be less certain. He signed a two-year contract worth $4.5 million this past offseason but releasing him in 2022 would free up $2 million in cap space with a dead cap hit of $450,000. With E-T-N coming back, it may not make sense to keep Hyde. The Jaguars can cut him and use the savings to bolster other position groups. If they want to add another running back next offseason, they can use a mid or late-round pick in a prospect with more upside.

Carlos Hyde can’t keep taking carries aways from James Robinson.

The Jaguars wouldn’t mind paying Hyde if he brought value to the offense but at this stage of his career, he doesn’t bring much to the table. This season, he’s toted the rock 72 yards for 253 yards and one touchdown and you could argue he got a good chunk of those carries because Urban Meyer wanted to force-feed him the ball. On top of that, Hyde hasn’t offered much in the passing game in 2021, hauling in 12 receptions for 65 yards. Furthermore, he’s a liability in pass protection, posting a subpar 45.7 Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade.

However you look at it, there’s a clear dropoff from Robinson to Hyde and the offense is better when the former is on the field. You could make the case the only reason he got playing time in 2021 was that he was Urban Meyer’s protege. The running back played for the controversial head coach back in Ohio State and likely landed in Jacksonville because of him.

Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke selected Hyde in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft (he was at the time with the San Francisco 49ers) but he isn’t the kind of executive that would tell the coaching staff who to play.

If the Jaguars are going to pull Robinson from the field next season, it will be because Etienne can make something on offense. Carlos Hyde hasn’t had an impact this year and things won’t probably change next offseason. That’s why moving on from him in 2022 will be the best course of action for a Jaguars team that will continue their rebuild.