When Carlos Hyde signed a one-year deal with the Chiefs in March, he was joining his fourth team in the last 12 months. Hyde left the 49ers as a free agent to join his hometown Browns only to be traded to the Jaguars at the deadline last season and then get released in the offseason in a money-saving move. Hyde couldn’t have dreamed up a better landing spot than Kansas City after it just said goodbye to Kareem Hunt. Damien Williams then hurt his hamstring at the start of training camp, and it left Hyde as the No. 1 back on the depth chart. Williams has since returned to practice, and the Chiefs used a late-round pick on RB Darwin Thompson in April. Darrel Williams is also still in the mix. Thompson was a tackle-shedding machine at Utah State and has carried that over to the preseason. We’ve seen him hurdle a defender near the goal line and turn in an impressive 52 yards on nine carries with four broken tackles this summer. Thompson has also contributed a 29-yard touchdown on his lone catch in the pass game. Flat out, Thompson has outperformed Hyde. And that has left Hyde’s roster spot in question.
The Athletic’s Nate Taylor has left Hyde off his 53-man roster projection each of the last two weeks. Hyde has a measly 25 yards on seven carries (3.6 YPC) with one touchdown and one fumble. Hyde ran with the first-team offense this past weekend in Pittsburgh but fumbled on his lone series with that group. And despite his 6’/229 frame, Hyde has forced exactly zero missed tackles. He’s a slug and turns 29 next month. Hyde is nearing the end of the line already. The fact that he doesn’t play special teams is also working against him. Coach Andy Reid talked Hyde up earlier this month, but he’s since moved that hype to Thompson. We’ve seen Hyde going in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts, but the entire appeal there was Hyde actually making the team and having a role in this explosive offense. If he doesn’t even make it to Week 1, his value is obviously zero. Hyde has become too risky to even consider before the end of drafts. He needs to have a big third preseason game, and that may not even be enough.
Editor’s Note: If you’re on the hunt for rankings, projections, strategy and advice on how to dominate your drafts, check out the all-new Rotoworld NFL Draft Guide. Now mobile-optimized with a new look and feel, it’s never been easier to take our award-winning advice with you to your drafts for that extra competitive edge! Click here to learn more!
Bears “In Love” with Montgomery
Yahoo’s Terez Paylor paid a visit to Bears camp and came away with the impression that the Bears are “in love” with rookie David Montgomery. Chicago traded up to take Montgomery in April’s draft despite already only possessing five selections. That’s how much they liked him. Montgomery then played 13 snaps in the preseason opener and ripped off three carries for 16 yards and one touchdown while also catching all three of his targets for 30 yards against the Panthers. The coaches were so impressed they decided to give Montgomery the veteran treatment in the second exhibition game, letting Montgomery rest with the rest of the key first-teamers. Montgomery’s ADP has gotten a bit out of control, creeping all the way up to the third and fourth rounds, but it’s evident he’s going to be the lead dog in this backfield. It’s just not clear how much of that share Montgomery is going to command with guys like Tarik Cohen, Mike Davis, and even Cordarrelle Patterson jockeying for carries. I don’t love Montgomery at his draft cost but do like him as a real-life player who doesn’t quit on his runs.
Ronald Jones Battling Balky Knee
The Bucs spent much of the offseason trying to build Ronald Jones’ confidence back up. Everything we read featured a different member of the organization praising Jones’ work heading into year two. But once the pads came on in training camp and preseason games, Jones hasn’t been standing out. And now he’s dealing with swelling in his knee after suffering a possible hyperextension last weekend against the Dolphins. Jones has played 11 preseason snaps and has rushed six times for 25 yards while adding a five-yard catch. Nothing eye-popping by any means but progress from his forgettable rookie season. The problem is Peyton Barber is still holding onto No. 1 duties and former UDFA Dare Ogunbowale has been talked up by coach Bruce Arians both in practice and after games. Ogunbowale has 23 carries for 68 yards and two touchdowns with three catches for 54 additional yards while playing with the second- and third-team offensive lines. This backfield is wide open. And Jones has done nothing to raise his fantasy stock. He’s still being drafted as a speculative RB5.
Quarterback & Running Back Quick Slants
Following Jimmy Garoppolo’s dreadful Monday night performance against the Broncos, GM John Lynch said on Tuesday that Garoppolo’s recovery from ACL surgery has been “flawless.” His practices and game action of late have been anything but that. … Off of a PRP injection to his knee, Jerick McKinnon remains limited to individual drills. … Jordan Howard has reportedly been “running the ball quite well” in camp. He’s still behind rookie Miles Sanders both in terms of talent and depth chart position. … Rookie Drew Lock suffered a “bad” sprain to his throwing thumb Monday night against the 49ers. Lock has not looked like an NFL passer through three preseason appearances and is done for the summer. … Andrew Luck (ankle/calf) will not practice this week. … Duke Johnson (hamstring) returned to practice Tuesday. He’d been sidelined since before his trade from Cleveland. … Melvin Gordon is just “waiting for the call” before ending his holdout. That “call” would need to be centered around $13 million annually and a large guarantee in the form of an extension.[[ad:athena]]
Wide Receiver & Tight End Quick Slants
Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin played all 11 snaps with the first-team offense in Monday night’s second preseason game. So much for that talk of Pettis not earning his spot. Deebo Samuel played zero snaps with Jimmy Garoppolo’s group. … Dolphins signed contract-year WR Jakeem Grant to a four-year extension through 2023. Grant is a seldom-used big-play threat on offense and also serves as Miami’s return man. … Released by the Patriots this week, Dontrelle Inman is headed back home and re-signing with the Chargers after starting his career with Philip Rivers. … Antonio Brown’s latest appeal regarding his helmet will be heard on Friday. Brown was back at Raiders camp Tuesday and practiced with the team. … Broncos first-round TE Noah Fant suffered a “mild” ankle sprain Monday night against the 49ers. … Patriots activated Demaryous Thomas (Achilles’) from PUP Tuesday. There’s a non-zero chance Thomas is still cut before Week 1. … John Ross (hamstring) is expected to be ready for Week 1 after missing most of camp. … Chiefs re-signed WR/KR De’Anthony Thomas. … Cardinals fourth-round WR Hakeem Butler has a broken finger and is a candidate to spend his entire rookie year on injured reserve. Butler has made minimal noise in his first camp. … Emmanuel Sanders said he felt “amazing” after his first game action Monday night since tearing his Achilles’ in December. … Coach John Harbaugh said first-rounder Marquise Brown has “a ways to go” to get caught up to speed after missing most of camp coming off foot surgery.
