JACKSONVILLE – Carlos Hyde left no doubt about a couple of things.
One was he's ecstatic to return to Jacksonville.
Another is the reason he's back with the Jaguars absolutely, positively is to be reunited with Head Coach Urban Meyer.
"Once I saw Coach Meyer become the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars, I already knew where I was going," Hyde said.
Hyde, an eight-year veteran running back, was among five new Jaguars players who spoke to the media via videoconference Monday afternoon. Hyde was notable because he played for the Jaguars in 2018, rushing for 189 yards on 58 carries in eight games before being released after the season.
If that stint didn't go as he hoped, Hyde – who played for Meyer at Ohio State in 2012-2013 -- said returning to Jacksonville became easy "once I saw Coach Meyer become the coach here."
"Honestly, I've been waiting for Coach Meyer to come here and coach in the NFL," Hyde said. "He's finally here."
Hyde, a second-round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, has been with six NFL teams: the 49ers, Cleveland Browns, Jaguars, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans and Seattle Seahawks. Meyer since leaving Ohio State following the 2018 season had been the subject of speculation about possibly coaching in the NFL. Hyde said he thought Meyer eventually "would make his way to the NFL."
"I'm happy he decided to do that now while I'm still playing," Hyde said. "I'm excited he's here now."
Meyer won three national championships at Florida (2006 and 2008) and Ohio State (2014), and Hyde was asked Monday why he believed Meyer would transition to the NFL successfully.
"One thing about Coach Meyer is it's all about winning," Hyde said. "He's going to figure it out – how to get the wins, how to consistently get wins, how to get a lot of wins, to build a winning program here, to build the right culture, to get the right guys in here.
"If you take Coach Meyer's record, the places he has been, he has won a lot. That's what we're all here for – is to win. That's what persuaded me to come back to Jacksonville. I know Coach Meyer. He wants to win. He's going to figure out how to win. I want to win. I would love to be with Coach Meyer once again and go win with him."
Hyde, who has rushed for 4,725 yards and 36 touchdowns, rushed for a career-high 1,070 yards and six touchdowns for the Houston Texans in 2019 – and he rushed for 356 yards and four touchdowns in 10 games for the Seattle Seahawks this past season.
"Back in '18 was just growth," Hyde said. "I was actually going through a lot that year – just family and personal issues also. There was a lot of growth. I wouldn't say it changed me – just helped me understand who I am, what I stand for.
"Things didn't go the right way when was here. I wish it would have gone better. It didn't. But there's new times here: new journey, new beginning here, new team, new faces, new coaches. I'm ready to start off on the right foot here and get things going."
NOTABLE
Phillip Dorsett is healthy, at last. "The foot is great," he said Monday. Dorsett, a wide receiver acquired by the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent last week, missed the entire 2020 season – his lone season with the Seahawks – with a foot injury that required November surgery to reportedly remove bone spurs. "I had a lot of time to rehab and I'm finally 100 percent," Dorsett said. Dorsett, 28, the No. 29 overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, has 124 receptions for 1,634 yards and 11 touchdowns in six seasons with the Colts, New England Patriots (2017-2019) and Seahawks. "I just envision my role as just going out there and being a guy that can just help his team win," he said. "I'm a team guy, I'm going to go out there and win." Dorsett is also a fast guy, having run a 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. "I know he [Meyer] wanted speed," Dorsett said. "A lot of teams want speed, they need speed. And I can run, so that was definitely one of the big factors that made me come here but not the only thing. But I would say it's probably up there."
QUOTABLE I
Safety Rudy Ford, also acquired as a free agent last week: "[I'm] just happy to be a part of something different. I got a great feel, just the energy and the vibes here. I feel like everything is going on the up, so that's why it was really like a no-brainer for me – just want to be a part of something good."
