Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Thunder and Lightning: Hyde and Breida will split carries, keep each other fresh
Since becoming a starter in 2015, San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has been available for just 20 of the team's 32 games due to injuries. He has not yet surpassed the 1,000-yard threshold while carrying the football but came just 12 yards shy of that goal last season before yet another injury forced the running back to miss the final game of the season.
This year, Hyde will have some support. The running back revealed on Thursday that he and rookie Matt Breida would share the load when it comes to running the football.
"Matt's going to be a big part of this offense," Hyde said. "He has a lot of speed. He has a lot of talent that the coaches can utilize. We go together good like a thunder and lightning combo. So, he'll be used just as much as I'm being used so it will be good for us. We keep each other fresh and tear the season up."
Breida was signed by the 49ers as an undrafted free agent following April's draft. In three seasons at Georgia Southern, he carried the football 542 times for 3,740 yards and 37 touchdowns. Breida's best season came in 2015 when he carried the football 203 times for 1,609 yards and 17 touchdowns. His 7.9 yards-per-carry average that season was shy of the 8.7 yards-per-carry that he averaged in 2014.
Sharing the carries with a capable running back will do a lot to help Hyde stay healthy for the entire season. Couple that with the fact Hyde reported to training camp in the best shape of his career and the duo could do big things within head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense, which depends on a strong rushing attack.
"He really has dedicated himself," general manager John Lynch said as the team reported to training camp in late July. "He's changed his body type this offseason and that to me at the least bit shows a commitment."
Hyde is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is scheduled to become a free agent in 2018. He was a second-round draft pick out of Ohio State by the 49ers in 2014. Over the past two seasons, Hyde has rushed for 1,468 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 4.4 yards per carry.
"My goal is to be the number one rushing running back in this league and I feel like I have the best opportunity to do that now with this new staff so I'm definitely looking forward to that," Hyde said in July. "That's my mindset going into this season is being number one at the end of the season."
LISTEN
Facebook Comments
More San Francisco 49ers News
49ers plan to exercise Brandon Aiyuk's 5th-year option as other teams express interest
Don't expect San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk to go anywhere anytime soon. On Monday morning, at the NFL owners' meetings in Arizona, general manager John Lynch made it clear the team plans to exercise the star player's fifth-year option.
"Brandon's been excellent for us," Lynch told reporters. "I'd be shocked if we didn't. We still have some time. It's (the deadline) the day after the draft, I believe, we have to make those decisions. And so we're still discussing, but it probably makes sense to do that for Brandon.
"He's a really good player. It's interesting when you're at these league functions, ownership meetings, combine, a lot of people ask about him. They really appreciate his game, and they see it ascending. And he's a guy we're very
49ers' offseason program begins on April 17, other key dates announced
The NFL announced the 2023 offseason workout dates for all 32 teams. Below is a breakdown of those dates for the San Francisco 49ers. Training camp dates will be announced later.
The dates below are subject to change.
First Day: April 17
OTA Offseason Workouts: May 22-23, May 25, May 30-May 31, June 2, June 5-6, June 8
Mandatory Minicamp: June 13-15
San Francisco will reportedly hold a local pro day on April 12.
NFL Communications provided the following offseason workout program breakdown.
Voluntary offseason workout programs are intended to provide training, teaching and physical conditioning for players. The calendar for 2023 is
6 biggest 49ers draft mistakes of the Shanahan and Lynch era
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 21
The San Francisco 49ers have been known as a team that has built throughout the draft in the Kyle Shanahan era, which has led to seasoned success throughout the head coach's tenure, with the organization reaching the NFC Championship Game three times over the past four seasons.
However, among the several draft hits that have propelled their roster to one of the league's best, there have been several mistakes that set the organization back at the time.
With the NFL Draft approaching next month, and the 49ers having another integral draft for their future success, let's revisit the five biggest draft mistakes of the Shanahan-Lynch era thus far.
Honorable Mention: Trey Lance
It feels absolutely unfair to place Trey Lance on this list at
Podcast: 49ers free agency 2023: Best and worst signings so far
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Mar 24
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jack Hammer discuss the 49ers free agent moves, grading the signings like Javon Hargrave thus far.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our
