Running back Frank Gore is renowned for his ability to stay productive in his mid-thirties playing such a high-contact position at age 36.
Could the Houston Texans have a similar situation with running back Carlos Hyde, who is set to be a free agent when free agency kicks off on March 18? Michael Colangelo from the Touchdown Wire does and believes the former San Francisco 49ers 2014 second-round pick will hang around in the NFL as long as Gore has.
Hyde is going to be the new Frank Gore. Just when you think his career his over, he has a resurgence and shows he still has something left in the tank. Gore was obviously more consistent, but it feels like Hyde is going to hang around.
He was essentially traded for a bag of footballs. The Texans needed a running back due to injuries and all Hyde did was end up with 1,070 yards on the ground, and six touchdowns.
Aside from the 2010 season, Gore has played anywhere between 14-16 games a season, including a 112-game streak from 2011-17. Gore has also posted nine seasons of 1,000 yards rushing. Hyde achieved his first such season with the Texans in 2019.
The Texans have decisions to make at running back as Hyde, along with intended starter Lamar Miller, are about to hit the open market. Inevitably, Houston is going to have to get younger at the position, even though coach Bill O’Brien has shown a propensity to go with running backs in their mid to late twenties as feature backs.
What might be optimal for Houston would be to sign Hyde to a contract, but draft his successor, much like what the 49ers did with Gore in 2014 when they took a certain Ohio State Buckeye in the second round of the draft. The next season, Gore was with the Indianapolis Colts while Hyde now carried the full load for San Francisco’s running game.