The Green Bay Packers revealed the nice depth that they have in the defensive backfield during their 17-11 win over the Cleveland Browns on Friday.  We saw some nice things from undrafted rookies Kentrell Brice, Warren Gatewood, Robertson Daniel and Josh Hawkins, to name a few.  Couple that with the continued growth of Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins and the Packers were able to let Casey Hayward leave in free agency and likely without missing a beat.  With a young group, the cornerback and safety positions stand to become of of the most solid on the entire Packers team for a few years to come.  

Amidst all of the talk about the offensive linemen whose contracts are up after this season, it has almost been forgotten that Micah Hyde is also going to be looking for a new deal after 2016.  The Packers will have a decision to make regarding Hyde and it's a bit more complicated than just whether or not he's worth the money and roster spot.  On the official depth chart at Packers.com, Hyde is listed as a defensive back, not a cornerback nor a safety.  He's the only such player listed that way.  He is a unique part of the Packers defense and also very valuable on special teams, having returned punts for the past three seasons as well.  

Hyde isn't a flashy player, although he has certainly made some big plays during his three seasons.  Here is one that should still be pretty fresh in most Packers fans' minds.  Hyde makes these types of plays by simply being in the right place at the right time.  Last season, Hyde scored interceptions against the St. Louis (now Los Angeles) Rams and Oakland Raiders by staying in his lane and reading the quarterback well.  During his rookie season, Hyde nearly became the hero of the wild card playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers by almost picking off Colin Kaepernick to put the Packers in position to run out the clock and secure a win.  It was a tough catch to make and as we know, almost doesn't count in football, but that play has proven to be Hyde's calling card: a smart player who can be counted on to be where he needs to be.  

Yes, Hyde's speed isn't great and has been a liability at times.  He's not a great cover back and doesn't have the speed to run with a Julio Jones type receiver down the sideline.  But when used in the right way, he has proven to be one of the steady presences for the Packers defense.  Hyde has seen time at corner, slot corner, safety and even some linebacker in the dime and nickel packages.  Defensive coordinator Dom Capers has the utmost confidence in the fourth-year man out of Iowa and we should continue to see more of the same this season.

Capers seems to want to move guys around this year, as we're hearing reports that Randall has spent some time at slot corner as well as on the outside and safety Morgan Burnett has taken some snaps at linebacker in some packages.  This can only help someone like Hyde, who has offenses spending more time guessing what he's doing.  Cleveland Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III may have had a tough time doing just that on the Browns' first offensive series.  Driving deeper into Packers territory, Griffin threw a ball over the middle and towards the end zone that was off the mark.  Hyde made a nice driving grab on the ball and scored the interception at the one-yard line.  Just another big play from a player who is as unassuming as any other on the Packers roster.

So what will Hyde's market be and will the Packers be able to keep him?  The first part of that question is uncertain and there's still the 2016 season to be played.  Barring injury, Hyde should bring in anywhere from 2-4 interceptions and, over the last three seasons, has three punt return scores to his credit as well.  He just turned 25 in late December so he's still plenty young.  Despite the nice showing by some of the young cornerbacks mentioned earlier and with guys like LaDarius Gunter up and coming, the Packers would be wise to do everything they can to keep Hyde in Green Bay.  He has what I have referred to before as a diverse toolbox and players like that can easily be undervalued.  He's also well-liked by his teammates and is getting to the point where he can start to help mentor some of the younger players.  What may slide the scales in Green Bay's favor is that he's well-known amongst Packers fans, but isn't a name you typically hear from other NFL fans in conversations about the Packers defense, save for around Iowa.  That could keep his market down and score the Packers a great value.

If his performance against Cleveland is any indication, we're in for another solid campaign from Hyde and further discussion about how he fits into the Packers' future plans.