When Carlos Hyde was traded to Houston just before the start of the season, he had no idea what to expect.
Rushing for his first 1,000-yard campaign was certainly not on his mind.
"Honestly, I really didn't have any expectations coming in," Hyde said Sunday. "I was focused once I got here, traded from Kansas City. I was locked in. I was going to come in and do my job, whatever role I needed to play. I was going to do whatever I had to do, but this feels good though to be in the position I'm in today to finally rush for 1,000 yards. Definitely feels good."
Heading into the Texans Week 15 matchup against the Tennessee Titans, the sixth-year veteran back had already set a single-season career high in rushing yards (926). After a 10-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, Hyde surpassed 1,000 yards rushing for the first time in his NFL career. He finished with 26 carries for 104 yards and one touchdown in the Texans 24-21 win over the Tennessee Titans.
"I had a similar run earlier and I went to the sideline and I just told myself, 'Be patient, be patient,'" Hyde said of his touchdown. "I was just being patient right there and bounced it outside."
That same patience guided Hyde as bounced around with three different teams in just one year. After starting the 2018 season with the Cleveland Browns, Hyde was traded to Jacksonville, released by the Jaguars, signed by Kansas City in the offseason, then traded to Houston. The Texans signed him on August 31, needing a back after Pro Bowl starter Lamar Miller suffered a season-ending knee injury in the preseason.
"It's been a long journey for me," Hyde said. "To come back and have a big year like I'm having now is huge and I got to give thanks to my offensive line though. Without those guys, I won't have a thousand yards. Offensive line, my tight ends, receivers, quarterback, OB (head coach Bill O'Brien), DB (running backs coach Danny Barrett), Timmy (offensive coordinator Tim Kelly), everybody. They all played a part in it and I'm very grateful for those guys."
In his first season as a Houston Texan, Hyde is averaging 4.7 yards per carry. He has rushed for 1,030 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns through just 14 games this season.
"I doubt he's worried about the other opponent or whoever is on the other side of the field," Deshaun Watson said. "Carlos is always running hard. That's his mentality each and every week and we are glad that he's on our team and he's healthy and keeps doing what he's doing. He deserves all the credit and deserves more hype and he deserves more touches. We're definitely going to ride behind Carlos and ride behind the O-line because they are doing a great job for us – continuing to win games."
On Sunday, Hyde became the fifth player in Texans history to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season, joining Domanick Williams, Steve Slaton, Arian Foster and Lamar Miller.
With the win, the Texans improved to 9-5 on the season and in sole possession of first place in the AFC South. The Texans will next travel to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers for a Saturday kickoff.
