If Ward is actually HYDRA, i could see a potential redemption storyline, mainly because of his feeling for skye. I don't see how this could play out unless it results in his sacrificial death for skye and/or coulson's team.
Other possibility is Ward has gone rogue and infiltrating HYDRA on his own.

That's the thing, everyone is assuming he was able to get that knife. It never looked possible yet he smiled as if he knew he was safe. Even if he was able to get the knife, why would he smile..there still was no guarantee he was going to win…

No..i'm not saying he was able to get the knife. The knife was out of arms reach. No way he could've gotten it in his comprised position. It told him the soldiers were from hydra so at that point (obviously we don't know how) in some way he let them know, "hey stop beating the crap out of me, i'm one of you guys."

While the clairovoyant seems to have rank in Hydra…that doesn't mean he knows everyone in hydra. And i do agree Ward definitely had regrets. He tunes out Garrett because of guilt. Is it guilt for being a triple agent? or guilt for betraying the team he had grown close to. I thought about that one a lot.
While…

Ward reels a bit because he just found out that Garrett was the clairovoyant.
I'm convinced Ward is hydra. There's no better explanation for him surviving that fight with the bunch of soldiers. Watch it again if you get a chance. See how it focuses on the knife and then the smile that Ward gives. It's not like it…

Is Hand dead or staged? Why is Ward tuning out Garrett at the end? What's with all these little nods and looks everyone is giving each other. A lot of these theories being thrown out here depend on whether or not Ward is actually Hydra. I believe he is and here's why.

I haven't seen anyone make this connection so i'm not sure if i'm just good at catching things or if i'm just completely reaching but i saw that scene as the knife being some sort of membership card for hydra. Ward smiled when he saw that knife because i think that told him he was being attacked by hydra soldiers…