Carlos Hyde wanted to return to his home state so he could be closer to family, but the idea of helping the Browns become respectable again also appealed to the former Ohio State star.
After spending his first four NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, Hyde signed a three-year, $15 million deal with the Browns last week as a free agent. The franchise is now counting on the running back from Cincinnati to complement Duke Johnson in its backfield.
"I know what it feels like going out there competing and trying to get your first win," Hyde said last week during his introductory news conference with the Browns. "I would rather come around and be with some guys who are hungry to go get that first win and get a winning season. That's something that definitely brought me back here."
The 49ers went 8-8 during Hyde's rookie season, then 5-11 and 2-14 the next two years. They were 6-10 last year but won their last five games with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo playing.
Hyde knows what it's like to lose in the NFL but not to go 0-16 like the Browns did in 2017.
"There's only one way we can go is the way I think about it, and that's up," Hyde said. "Bringing in guys like me, (quarterback) Tyrod (Taylor) and (slot receiver) Jarvis (Landry), and already having guys like (wide receiver) Josh Gordon and Duke, just guys who can make plays, keep the defense off the field, put points on the boarding, get these wins going."
Despite Hyde's arrival, there is still a chance the Browns could draft Penn State running back Saquon Barkley. Especially if quarterbacks are taken with the first three picks _ the Browns are expected to select one at No. 1 overall _ and Barkley falls to them at No. 4.
But short of Barkley coming to Cleveland, Hyde will be relied on to negate the loss of starting running back Isaiah Crowell in free agency. Crowell spent four seasons with the Browns but signed a three-year, $12 million contract last week with the New York Jets.
Hyde is 27. Crowell is 25. They both have a career average of 4.2 yards per carry and 21 rushing touchdowns. But Hyde averaged 3.9 yards a carry last season, and Crowell averaged 4.1. Hyde has 13 more career receptions, but Crowell has averaged 8 yards per catch while Hyde has averaged 5.8. Hyde has three career touchdown catches compared with Crowell's one. Hyde has fumbled nine times and lost five. Crowell has fumbled six times and lost five.
Durability is another factor. Hyde played all 16 games for the first time in his career last season. Crowell has never missed a game.
"The whole injury thing and taking care of my body is just something I had to learn as a player," Hyde said. "I didn't really have anybody there coaching me like a veteran or anything telling me, 'Hey, you need to be doing this and that for your body.' I had to learn it the hard way by getting injured.
"The things I did differently (last season) _ I changed my diet, I lost weight, went down to like 228 (pounds), that's the lightest I've been. I went into the season feeling the best I've ever felt. So I figured it out on my own."
Hyde said the Browns told him, "We brought you here to give you the rock, let you get downhill, and let you play your style of football." New Browns general manager John Dorsey said Hyde, a second-round pick (No. 57 overall) in 2014, is "built to play" in the rushing attack new offensive coordinator Todd Haley will employ.
"That guy is a violent runner," Browns coach Hue Jackson added. "He goes downhill, then he bounces off of people and he keeps on going. In order for us to be the type of team I think we want to become, late in the year when it becomes November, December and January, you have to be able to run the football.
"You have to be able to line up and knock the other team off of the ball and hand the ball to somebody who's going to make plays, and that's who Carlos Hyde is. He's played in these elements before, and he understands it. I think he's excited about the chance to be back here doing this, and we're going to give him every opportunity to run the ball."
