Is Jerry Hughes heading for a bounce back year with the Buffalo Bills?
There is no question that Jerry Hughes has been a big part of the Buffalo Bills and has emerged as a cornerstone player for this franchise. He is the longest tenured player since joining the team in 2013 when he broke out with back to back 10 sack seasons.
However, over the past few years his production has started to decline and he is coming off one of the worst years since joining the Bills with 4.5 sacks and only 23 total tackles. The numbers last year shouldn’t be too concerning for two reasons.
The first reason is that Hughes was dealing with a number of injuries that he had to have surgery on this offseason. While it didn’t force him to miss any time, there certainly had to contribute to the lack of production.
The other positive is that Jerry Hughes had a tremendous final game in the postseason game against the Houston Texans. He nearly matched his sack total with three, adding four total tackles.
2020 Season Outlook for Jerry Hughes
This coming season is going to be a big year for the veteran pass rusher as the Buffalo Bills could cut him next offseason and take on just over $2 million in dead cap while saving over $7 million. It is going to be vital for Hughes to show he can produce like he once did.
This is not to say he needs to have double digit sacks but reaching the 7-9 sack mark should be the goal. This is certainly possible, especially if the Bills move Hughes around on the defensive line.
He has primarily been asked to go up against the left tackle in recent years but now with Mario Addison on the roster, the Buffalo Bills could line him up on the other side against the right tackle. This could help him boost the pressures and sacks this coming season.
The talent along the defensive line, ability to move him to the other side plus being completely healthy should result in a bounce back year this season.
Prediction: 38 total tackles, 8 sacks, 14 QB hits