SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Carlos Hyde has missed four straight games rehabbing a stress fracture in his left foot. The San Francisco 49ers running back last practiced the week leading up to the Oct. 22 game against the Seattle Seahawks.
So with five games remaining in a rebuilding season, and with Shaun Draughn proving to be a capable replacement for a team seemingly setting itself up for a top-5 draft pick, is there any thought on simply shutting Hyde down for the season and have him undergo surgery to repair the injury?
“Again, that’s been, all of that’s been on the table since the beginning, O.K.?” Niners coach Jim Tomsula said Monday in his weekly media conference. “So, again, I listen to the doctors and the medical staff on where we need to go with that and what’s the best course of action. Right now, we’re at day-to-day with Carlos and finding out exactly what that foot’s responding to.”
Tomsula was asked if it was Hyde’s decision to undergo surgery, or if the running back has been resisting it.
“When it comes to the medical conversations, I don’t have a comment, nor do I have a lot of information ... we stay out of it. Coaches and medical decisions is not a good thing. We keep that very separate.
“But obviously, when it comes to a human being and their body, they have a major say.”
Hyde has rushed for 470 yards and three touchdowns on 115 carries, a 4.1 yards-per-carry average, in seven games. Draughn, signed off the street on Nov. 2, has averaged 3.5 yards per carry while rushing for 156 yards on 45 attempts and no touchdowns in three games.