Green Bay Packers 2015 Impact Meter: DB Micah Hyde

The reshuffling in the secondary the Green Bay Packers experienced this offseason, with the departure of cornerbacks Tramon Williams, Davon House and Jarrett Bush, could be a major positive for defensive back Micah Hyde in 2015. 

After a rookie season in which Hyde served as essentially a utility player, with 209 snaps in the slot and 239 snaps elsewhere, per Pro Football Focus, he was moved to safety in 2014.

This was partly to mitigate the burden that would be placed on rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who would eventually win the starting job, and partly to get Hyde on the field more. 

"I mean Micah's to me a multiple position player," head coach Mike McCarthy said in February 2014, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovsky. "I'd like to see Micah compete to play all three downs on defense, so if there's a personnel group that he has to play safety, yeah that's an option."

While Hyde performed well at safety—and we'll get into that more below—he's most valuable in the slot. That matches up with the Packers' needs in 2015 perfectly; with Casey Hayward projected to move outside opposite Sam Shields, Hyde could become the go-to nickel corner.

If he earns that role, he'll have a big impact on the Packers defense in 2015. 

2014 Season in Review

Games Played	Starts	Comb Tackles	Total Tackles	Sacks	INTs	PD
16	12	59	45	1	2	7

From Packers OTAs to minicamp to training camp in 2014, Hyde was the starting safety opposite veteran Morgan Burnett. Clinton-Dix had been selected in the first round of the 2014 draft, but he was unproven and needed time to learn Dom Capers' defensive scheme. 

In late July, with two training camp practices under their belt, Tyler Dunne (then of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel) wrote that Hyde seemed to "have the edge on Clinton-Dix at safety," and that it would be difficult for the rookie to unseat him. 

Indeed, through the first six regular-season games of the 2014 season, Hyde was Green Bay's starting safety, according to Pro Football Focus.

In the Week 1 contest against the Seattle Seahawks, Hyde and Burnett were the starters at safety. Hyde played 51 of 70 total defensive plays, per Demovsky, but partway through the game, the Packers turned to Clinton-Dix and moved Hyde to the dime. 

Dix ended up playing 40 defensive plays but had three missed tackles, according to Demovsky, so Hyde was back again to start Week 2 against the New York Jets. 

Somewhere along the way, however, Clinton-Dix started to "get it." He eventually got the start in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers, and Hyde moved into a support role in defensive sub-packages. He still earned some starts and 567 snaps over the rest of the season, per Pro Football Focus, and had some important contributions. 

In Week 10 against the Chicago Bears, Hyde had two passes defensed and an interception of Jay Cutler. 

Mike Roemer/Associated Press

It was an important moment for both Hyde and the Packers. For the player, it was his first career interception. For the team, it proved that Hyde could be a playmaker even though Clinton-Dix had taken over the starting safety role. Hyde continued to play nickel corner, and he continued to make plays. 

In Week 12 against the Minnesota Vikings, Hyde had his second career sack as well as another pass defended. 

And through the season, in the 242 snaps Hyde played in the slot, he limited opposing quarterbacks to a passer rating of 81.7, the sixth-lowest of the 24 corners who played at least 50 percent of their team's snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus. 

Hyde had two interceptions in slot coverage and allowed 31 receptions on 43 targets. But most importantly, he had only three missed tackles on the season, per Pro Football Focus, the lowest of any Packers cornerback. 

2015 Preview

The best thing the Packers could do for their defense in 2015 would be to move Hyde to nickel corner if Hayward starts on the outside. 

Hyde played 209 snaps in the slot in 2013 when Hayward was on injured reserve, per Pro Football Focus, and then 242 more last season. That gives him the most experience covering the slot of any defender on the team save for Hayward. 

If Hyde moves to the nickel full time, rookie Quinten Rollins can contribute in the dime package and rotate into the nickel with Hyde as he learns the defense and improves. That makes rookie Damarious Randall the primary backup for both Shields and Hayward on the outside. 

Hyde can also make a huge impact on special teams in 2015. Expect him to be Green Bay's full-time punt returner; in 2014, the Packers were seventh in the league in punt return yardage, with 333.

Their 11.5-yard average was almost entirely due to a 75-yard punt return by Hyde during Green Bay's 53-20 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.

For all of the issues Green Bay's special teams unit had in 2014, Hyde was one of, if not its brightest spot. 

During OTAs and minicamp, Hyde took part in both kick return and punt return reps, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

When Clinton-Dix took over as the team's starting safety last season, it seemed like it could leave Hyde without a clear position in 2015. But being Green Bay's primary nickel corner suits both Hyde and the team perfectly.  

Projected 2015 impact meter: High