Despite being listed as limited in practice Thursday, Bills' safety Micah Hyde is ready to take the field on Monday for the first time in almost a year after suffering a neck injury in Week 2 of the 2022 season.
While what he described as "a little soreness" kept him limited at practice, Hyde is happy to have the grind of recovering from a major injury in the rear view as he prepares for an epic return to the NFL: Monday Night Football against a division rival with a new quarterback, one Hyde is quite familiar with.
"I'm just super excited," Hyde said after practice Thursday. "Super excited to get back out there and give it a go. You know, missed a lot of games last year then working my way through training camp pretty healthy, to wake up and feel a little soreness the other day was not ideal, but like I said, a little more today and I'm gonna be ready for Monday night."
Hyde, who spent four seasons with Rodgers in Green Bay, acknowledged the challenge of stopping an elite quarterback with a strong arsenal of skill players.
"He's a great quarterback, obviously history has shown what he's been able to do and he went up to New York and they've got a lot of confidence," Hyde said. "They got a Hall of Fame quarterback and a lot of weapons around him."
If Hyde, Tre'Davious White and Jordan Poyer all play, as is expected, in Monday's game, it will mark the first time the trio takes the field together since 2021. White suffered an ACL injury in November 2021 and Hyde's 2022 season ended just two weeks in. As a result, the duo has yet to reunite in a non-preseason game. Safety Jordan Poyer, who sustained multiple injuries over the course of the 2022 season, is happy to have his long-time partner back in the secondary.
"When he's out there, I feel a lot more comfortable just understanding, we get a call, I know he knows where I'm supposed to be and vice versa," Poyer said. "It's just speaking the same language; we've been playing together for so long. It's like half the time we already know what each other is going to be saying, or we're saying that same thing at the same time."
White was drafted in 2017, the same year that Poyer and Hyde joined the Bills. Hyde said he is proud and happy to see White return to the field after a long recovery from his ACL tear.
Scroll to see practice photos from September 6, 2023 as the Buffalo Bills prepare for Week 1.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
Buffalo Bills Week 1 practice at One Bills Drive, September 6, 2023.
"I love that guy," Hyde said. "I'm so happy for him to where he was to where he is now, coming off the injury and working his ass off over the offseason and even through training camp and stuff so I'm very proud of him. Like a big brother."
The team will leave Sunday to travel to New York to face Aaron Rodgers and the Jets — and for Hyde, it will be another of many steps towards a full recovery.
"I just think that once the game is taken away from you, the first time in my career it's ever been, it kind of opened my eyes to how blessed I really am," Hyde said. "I'm truly grateful to come here and work every day."
The Bills' defensive backs and the rest of the roster will get to work Monday at 8:15 p.m. on ESPN/ABC.
