4 Jaguars who can’t be counted on to contribute in 2022

No. 4 player the Jaguars can’t count on in 2022 – Carlos Hyde, RB.

The Jaguars lost their top three running backs to injuries this season and what looked like a position of strength for the Jaguars early in 2021 has now become a need ahead of the offseason. Dare Ogunbowale will make his second start of the season in Week 18. He did a good job filling in for James Robinson in the last two weeks of the 2020 season, racking up 28 carries for 121 yards.

Looking back, there was no need for the Jaguars to sign Carlos Hyde this past offseason. You could make the case Ogunbowale is better at this stage of their respective careers and the only reason he landed in Jacksonville was his links to Urban Meyer, whom he played for him at Ohio State, and general manager Trent Baalke, who drafted him in San Francisco back in 2014.

Hyde was placed on the Injured/Reserve list with a concussion after Week 14. He finished the year with 72 rushes for 253 yards and one touchdown. It’s uncertain if Robinson or Travis Etienne will be fully healthy by the start of the 2022 season but the Jaguars need to sign a running back in free agency or take one in the draft.

During his second stint in Jacksonville, Hyde didn’t show enough to make the team’s brass feel good about him playing for an extended period of time. He has one year left in his contract and the Jaguars could free up $2 million in cap space with a manageable dead cap hit of $450,000 if they release him in 2022.