The Houston Texans have acquired running back Carlos Hyde from the Kansas City Chiefs in a trade for guard Martinas Rankin.
The Texans were in need of help at running back after starter Lamar Miller tore his ACL in the third preseason game. Houston also traded for running back Duke Johnson Jr. earlier in the month, and while he is still expected to be the lead back, Hyde will allow the Texans to use Johnson more in the passing game.
Rankin, a third-round pick in 2018, started four games last season (three at left tackle and one at left guard), but struggled as a rookie. Although Rankin played primarily at tackle last season, Texans head coach Bill O’Brien said he thought Rankin would have more success at guard, and that he had “high expectations” for him in his second season.
Rankin had an underwhelming training camp and was not expected to make the Texans’ roster.
Hyde spent his first four NFL seasons with the 49ers before splitting the 2018 season between the Browns and Jaguars. He signed with the Chiefs in March. In 14 games last season, Hyde ran for 571 yards and five touchdowns on 172 carries.
Hyde was the starting RB for the first two weeks of camp, when Damien Williams was out with a sore hamstring. Hyde’s drop down the depth chart began with the emergence of rookie RB Darwin Thompson, who Andy Reid has said is more advanced at this point than the Chiefs expected for a sixth-round draft pick. The Chiefs have Williams, Thompson and Darrel Williams at running back, while veteran LeSean McCoy reached a deal Saturday night with the team, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The trade is one of a string of deals the Texans have made on cut day, as they also acquired offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil, wide receiver Kenny Stills a 2020 fourth-round pick and 2021 sixth-round pick from the Miami Dolphins for first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, a 2021 second-round pick, offensive tackle Julie’n Davenport and cornerback Johnson Bademosi, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
In another trade, the Texans acquired second-year cornerback Keion Crossen from the Patriots. New England received a sixth-round pick in the deal, a source told ESPN’s Mike Reiss.
Crossen, a seventh-round pick out of Western Carolina, is an inside corner with top-end athleticism who also plays special teams. He appeared in 11 regular-season games last year (no starts) and all three playoff games (no starts).
Information from ESPN’s Adam Teicher was used in this report.