If Kyle Shanahan is known for one thing as a head coach, it’s how to get the most out of his running backs. Like his father Mike, Shanahan’s zone running scheme has become a cornerstone of his offenses, and worked to perfection last year in Atlanta, where the Falcons finished fifth in the league in yards per carry, something that helped open up the play-action pass in their in top ranked scoring offense.
This would seem to be an ideal situation for Carlos Hyde, who is still waiting for a breakout season after being defined by inconsistency thus far in his career. But Hyde is different stylistically than Shanahan’s running backs in Atlanta, Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman, and NFL Flims’ senior producer Greg Cosell believes that while Hyde has the tools to be successful, there is another young running back on the roster who might be a better fit.
“I think Carlos Hyde has a good skill set, he’s been unable to stay healthy,” Cosell began. “I think he’s certainly capable of running this outside zone based offense. He may not be the ideal back for it. They probably like a quicker back with a little more juice. I think that’s one reason why they drafted Joe Williams out of Utah, and I know he didn’t get meaningful snaps this past week, I don’t know what the plan is this weekend, but I think Joe Williams is a back to keep an eye on assuming he’s had a good training camp because I think stylistically he’s probably built a little more like the kind’ve back that Kyle might like to use, but I think Hyde can fit that offense.”
Hyde is currently listed on the 49ers’ depth chart as the number one back and is expected to begin the season in that role. Williams was drafted in the fourth round by Shanahan, who pleaded with general manager John Lynch to put him on their draft board after Williams was taken off following a strange final year at Utah where he left the team midseason due to personal issues.
Williams was a game breaker in college, finishing in the top 20 in rushing yards in 2016 despite playing in just nine games. Expect him to get a healthy amount of carries in the 49ers’ third preseason game on Sunday.
Listen to the full interview below. To hear Cosell’s take on Carlos Hyde skip to the 7:35 mark.