San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde has 40 receptions this season, which puts him on pace for 71. The only player who has that many receptions for the team is wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who also has nearly twice as many receiving yards to go along with his 40 catches. Of course, Garçon is out for the season with a neck injury. Hyde, who has 13 more receptions than any other player on the team, has managed to stay healthy this season after finishing both 2015 and 2016 on injured reserve.
On Friday, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the coaching staff saw that Hyde had good hands upon joining the 49ers and reviewing his film. As the offseason progressed, Hyde displayed more of his playmaking ability while catching the football.
"It's not like you go into the season saying, 'Hey, he's going to be our leading receiver,' or anything like that," Shanahan said. "You go into each game and you look at what your best matchups are ... Carlos has been our best matchup a number of weeks. He's came through for us a number of times in that area."
Hyde's versatility has helped a 49ers team which has been decimated by injuries this season. Still, San Francisco ranks 18th in the NFL in passing yards and 30th in scoring. While Hyde has averaged four yards per carry, he has only carried the football an average of just over 13 times per game. Curiously, he has been handed the football more than 15 times in just two games this season and has only one game rushing for over 100 yards (124 during Week 2 against Seattle).
Against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Hyde had nine receptions for 84 yards before being ejected for unsportsmanlike contact toward the conclusion of the game. The running back set personal single-game career highs in receptions and receiving yards that day.
Reports have stated that the 49ers are interested in an extension for Hyde, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. However, the running back is focused on the season.
"I spoke to my agent about it, but I told him I don't want to talk about a contract extension or anything like that right now," Hyde said via NBC Sports Bay Area. "I want to focus on getting our first win and finishing the season off. I told him once we get to that point, we can talk about it."
Shanahan likes the attitude that Hyde is displaying.
"I hope everyone on our team is thinking about one thing and that's how to get a win this Sunday," Shanahan said on Friday. "After Sunday, we've got a bye week after that. We can spend a week thinking about other things. Then we'll be back and thinking how to get a win versus Seattle."
Hyde has also contributed 494 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 124 carries this season.