Carlos Hyde rumors: 5 best fits in NFL free agency

4. Seattle Seahawks

The leading rusher on the Seattle Seahawks last season was quarterback Russell Wilson with 586 yards. That’s pretty good for a quarterback but that is awful to be the team leader. The running back with the highest rushing yards in 2017 was Mike Davis with 240. Granted, he did only play six games but the Seattle backfield was a rotating cast of misfits and players off the street. To say they need an upgrade at the position is a massive understatement.

The Seahawks are likely to be a team in flux this year. They have a lot of tough decisions on both sides of the ball to make the salary cap work. One way to make the transition smooth is to get back to basics and emphasize a strong run game to go along with Wilson.

Seattle could lose both tight end Jimmy Graham and receiver Paul Richardson. They could look to their division rival to sign Hyde away. Some of the best years Seattle has ever had was when Marshawn Lynch was in Beast Mode. While Hyde isn’t quite on that level, he’s far superior to Chris Carson, Mike Davis, and Eddie Lacy. The reason Seattle isn’t higher on the list is because their offensive line is flat out bad by just about any metric.

Hyde isn’t just the two-down hammer that he’s perceived, but he may not be the best at creating his own running lanes. The fit could be in question unless Seattle made some significant improvements along the line. That doesn’t mean Seattle shouldn’t try to find out if Hyde wants to come north up the coast.