The Houston Texans allowed an interesting uniform number decision on Monday when newly acquired running back Carlos Hyde was seen sporting No. 23, the number worn by the club’s best rusher to date, Arian Foster.
According to a photo tweeted by the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson, Hyde was wearing a uniform number that Foster made famous for the Texans during his playing days from 2009-15, when the undrafted free agent from Tennessee won a NFL rushing title and earned four All-Pro selections.
If Hyde wears the No. 23 in Week 1 at the New Orleans Saints on Sept. 9, he will join Foster as the only running backs in club history to wear the odd number.
Since Foster’s departure in the 2016 offseason, the jersey number has been issued twice, but only to defensive backs. Kurtis Drummond wore it in 2017, and cornerback Johnson Bademosi wore it in 2018. In fact, prior to Foster, it was only worn by defensive backs with Kevin Williams wearing it in 2002 and former 2004 first-round draft pick Dunta Robinson sporting the number throughout his entire time in Houston until 2009.
Jersey retirement can be a problematic undertaking in the NFL given the uniform restrictions. If the Texans didn’t want to retire the uniform number, they could hold it back and only hand it out to players who they feel are worthy of carrying the mantle of Foster, who was the engine behind the Texans offense for much of their playoff seasons in 2011-12.
The Texans acquired Hyde in a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs on Aug. 31. Houston sent former 2018 third-round pick Martinas Rankin to the AFC West club for Hyde. The Texans get a running back who has 827 carries for 3,300 yards and 26 touchdowns in his 64 career games, 43 of which he started. Hyde has played for the San Francisco 49ers, Cleveland Browns, and Jacksonville Jaguars before going to the Chiefs and being traded to Houston.
