Signing Carlos Hyde shouldn’t keep Browns from drafting Saquon Barkley

The Cleveland Browns are set to sign Carlos Hyde, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still need to add talent at running back.

The Cleveland Browns have been one of the most active teams as the NFL offseason ramps up, with reported trades for Jarvis Landry and Tyrod Taylor bolstering their talent on the offensive side of the ball. Now they’re set to add a running back in free agency, with Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reporting the Browns will sign Carlos Hyde.

Hyde played at Ohio State and has spent his entire four-year career with the San Francisco 49ers. He played in all 16 games for the first time in 2017, with 938 rushing yards and career-highs in rushing touchdowns (eight) and receptions (59).

The Browns are set to lose free agent running back Isaiah Crowell to the New York Jets, and they still have Duke Johnson (74 receptions last season) around. Hyde has a similar skill set to Crowell, albeit with slightly more upside and versatility.

After the reported trade for Taylor, and with his outstanding combine performance in mind, it became easy to tie the Browns to Penn State running back Saquon Barkley with the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. But with two top-four picks all options are still open for Cleveland, as Taylor is entering the final year of his contract. Hyde’s deal, based on Rapoport’s initial report, seems to be front-loaded to 2018 with little real commitment beyond.

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Hyde is simply a replacement for Crowell, and Johnson has shown he’s little more than a very capable pass catcher through three seasons. So if the Browns wind up with Barkley as the best player on their draft board, above each of the quarterbacks or anyone else, he has to be the pick when they’re on the clock the night of April 26.