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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jaguars, in need of rushing help because Leonard Fournette is out indefinitely with a hamstring injury, traded a fifth-round draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for running back Carlos Hyde on Friday.
Hyde has rushed for 382 yards and five touchdowns while sharing time with rookie Nick Chubb. Hyde just barely missed rushing for 1,000 yards in each of the past two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
The Jaguars said Friday that Fournette will miss Sunday’s game against the Houston Texans at TIAA Bank Field. It will be the third consecutive game — and fifth overall — that he has missed with the injury. There is no timetable for when he will be able to return, coach Doug Marrone said.
“I don’t know when he’ll be ready,” Marrone said. “I really don’t.”
T.J. Yeldon, who has been dealing with an ankle injury, has been the Jaguars’ main back in Fournette’s absence. After losing Corey Grant to a season-ending foot injury against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jaguars signed Jamaal Charles last week. He had five carries for 5 yards and one catch for 5 yards against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
Hyde has rushed for 3,113 yards and 26 touchdowns in four-plus seasons in the NFL. The 49ers drafted him in the second round of the 2014 draft, and after playing in only 21 games his first two seasons, he rushed for 988 yards and six touchdowns in 2016 and 940 yards and eight touchdowns in 2017.
He signed with the Browns in March, agreeing to a three-year, $15.25 million contract with $7 million guaranteed.
The trade will open more rushing opportunities for Chubb. The second-round pick has 173 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries and is one of three players with multiple rushes of at least 40 yards this season. Duke Johnson Jr. is the only other Cleveland running back with more than 100 rushing yards in 2018.
Fournette hurt his right hamstring late in the first half of the season opener and missed the next two games. He returned in Week 4 but aggravated the injury late in the first half of that game and hasn’t practiced since. He has 71 yards rushing and four catches for 19 yards.
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