The Buffalo Bills on Friday announced they had agreed to a two-year contract extension with safety Micah Hyde. The move ensures that three of the key players in the secondary will stay in Buffalo through the 2023 season.
However, that is not the only veteran the front office should be focused on extending in the next few weeks. While the discussion has mostly been about which defensive ends the team could add this offseason, the front office should also be focused on keeping Jerry Hughes with the team past this season.
Hughes is the player currently on the roster with the longest tenure with the team. He joined the Bills in 2013 when they traded linebacker Kelvin Sheppard for Hughes. Since that trade, he has been a foundational player for this defense, even though they have gone through multiple defensive schemes during his time.
The veteran pass rusher is entering the final year of a two-year extension that he signed with the team prior to the 2019 season. While he is 32 years old, it would be smart to try and work out a similar deal with Hughes this offseason.
The concern with Jerry Hughes is that the sack numbers have dropped significantly since the earlier years with the team. He has not been able to surpass five sacks in three of the past four years.
However, his impact goes beyond just the sack totals as he has done a good job getting pressure on quarterbacks with 81 pressures over the past three seasons. He also has responded in a big way in the playoffs the past two seasons with six sacks in four games.
The other point that shouldn’t go unmentioned is that the other defensive ends haven’t proven to be much of a threat to get after the quarterback.
The past few seasons the Bills have had Trent Murphy, Mario Addison, and Shaq Lawson which allows teams to play them one-on-one and shift more attention to Jerry Hughes. If the Buffalo Bills add a more dominant pass rusher, it could be Hughes that benefits from those one-on-one matchups.
For eight seasons, Jerry Hughes has been a cornerstone of this Buffalo Bills defense and the front office should make sure he stays in Western New York for a few more seasons.