GREEN BAY — Casey Hayward wasn't supposed to take any 11-on-11 snaps in Monday's practice, but he did. So don't bet against the Green Bay Packers second-year cornerback seeing action in Friday night's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lambeau Field.
Hayward was activated from the physically unable to perform list Monday after missing the first three-plus weeks of training camp with a hamstring injury that he sustained while training on his own about a week before camp opened on July 26.
"Today was a good push. The plays I was out there, I was 100 percent," Hayward said after practice. "I'm just trying to get back in the groove of things, trying to get my wind up.
"They told me to go a little light today, light reps. But when you're out there, you want to get more reps. But we are going to ease into it."
As a rookie second-round pick out of Vanderbilt, the 5-foot-11, 192-pound Hayward finished his rookie season having started seven games and played 769 snaps, registering 55 tackles, a team-leading six interceptions, one forced fumble and 25 pass breakups. He finished third behind Carolina's Luke Kuechly and Seattle's Bobby Wagner in the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, garnering six of 50 votes.
Per ProFootballFocus.com, Hayward gave up only 33 completions for 456 yards on the season, and opposing quarterbacks had an NFL-low 30.4 passer rating when throwing against him.
With Hayward and Tramon Williams (knee) sidelined for all or most of camp, the Packers' three top cornerbacks have been Sam Shields, Davon House and rookie Micah Hyde, who has come on like gangbusters of late.
"That season's in the past. I want to work on some of the things to get better this year," Hayward said. "You've got Micah Hyde, Davon House, Sam Shields — they're doing a great job out there. Last year is out of the way. I'm working on getting better this year."
Hayward said he doesn't have a history of hamstring problems, having had a mild strain in college but that he didn't miss much time then. He said he was working out in Atlanta when he hurt the hamstring.
"It was just a freak accident," Hayward said. "I knew as soon as it happened. I was like, 'Aarrgh.' I wasn't sure how long I would be out. I wasn't hoping to be out this long, but the MRI showed I pulled it pretty good."
Packers coach Mike McCarthy said that by having the team in shorts and helmets Monday and Tuesday could give Hayward a chance to be in pads on Wednesday, possibly clearing the way for him to play against the Seahawks. But the focus, of course, is to be ready for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener at San Francisco.
"He feels really good, his conditioning has gone very well. He's very anxious to get out there and go full speed," McCarthy said. "I think the structure of today's practice probably helped him for being on the field for the first time. We'll see how he feels tomorrow and see how he progresses through the week. But it's good to have him back out there."
Asked if he thinks he'll play against the Seahawks, Hayward replied, "I'm not sure. You have to ask coach. Hopefully, if I keep feeling good this week, I'll go. But I'm not sure. ... Hopefully if I can get some reps this week I'll be ready for the opener with San Fran."
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