Buffalo Bills: A.J. Epenesa has opportunity with Jerry Hughes absence
Jerry Hughes will be starting Buffalo Bills training camp on the non-football list.
The Buffalo Bills will be holding their first practice of training camp this morning but one player who won’t be on the field is Jerry Hughes. The starting defensive end suffered a calf injury and will begin training camp on the non-football injury list (NFI), according to Brandon Beane.
Beane did say that the calf injury occurred while he was training and doesn’t appear to be major. However, he did not provide a timeframe of when he would return.
Jerry Hughes is entering his ninth season with the Buffalo Bills and is the player currently on the roster who has been with the team the longest. He joined the Bills in 2013 after the team traded linebacker Kelvin Sheppard to the Colts for the pass rusher and is arguably one of the best trades the team has ever made.
This season is pivotal for Hughes as he is entering the final year of his contract and is coming off two down seasons. While he has been able to get pressure on quarterbacks (42) he hasn’t been able to generate sacks with only nine in the regular season during that stretch.
Opportunity for younger pass rushers with the Buffalo Bills
While it is unfortunate that the Bills will not have one of their defensive leaders on the field to start training camp, it does create an opportunity for the younger pass rushers to get more practice time.
The Bills are entering this season with hopes that the pass rush will improve and they brought in players like Greg Rousseau, Carlos Basham Jr., and Efe Obada this offseason. However, the player that may benefit the most is last year’s second round pick A.J. Epenesa.
He is the player who will likely get the chance to practice the most with the first team with Hughes out. Earlier this offseason, Sean McDermott mentioned the improvements Epenesa has made and was encouraged.
Next. 53-man roster projections for Bills entering training camp. dark
If he is able to get off to a fast start, he could set himself up to get more playing time early in the season.