The San Francisco 49ers have officially played running back Carlos Hyde on injured reserve, ending his season. Hyde sustained an MCL sprain in his left knee in Week 16 against the Los Angeles Rams.
Fortunately, the injury will not require surgery, and Hyde should be all systems go for the full offseason program, which is about the only thing 49ers fans have to look forward to at this point.
Taking Hyde’s spot on the 53-man roster is former Dallas Cowboys defensive lineman Zach Moore. He appeared in one game for the Cowboys this season and has appeared in nine games over the past two seasons, one of which was spent with the New England Patriots while the other was with the Minnesota Vikings.
Moore was a sixth-round draft pick by the Patriots in 2014. He played college ball at Concordia University of St. Paul, Minn.
Hyde’s season came to an end with 988 rushing yards and six touchdowns on the ground, with a 4.6 yards-per-carry average. He had 163 yards and three touchdowns through the air on top of that. He still has not broken the 1,000-yard mark in a single season.
The 49ers have just one more game to play, against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. They are well, well out of the playoff race and Hyde’s presence wouldn’t have made for much of a difference. This move is simply the 49ers formalizing his absence in the regular season finale.