Jerry Hughes
Jerry Hughes is one of the longest-tenured Bills on the roster. He has been a regular bright spot throughout his career in Buffalo. However, this season he has not played to the level we are used to seeing him play at. Hughes was never and will never be a star defensive player but he has always been a very well-rounded defensive end who can stop the run and rush the passer. This season he has contributed to Buffalo’s strong run defense significantly with his ability to eat up blockers and penetrate the backfield on zone runs.
Hughes still is having a positive impact in the games he has played this year but he just has not been able to fill the stat sheet. While much more goes into playing defense than just stats this is the first time Hughes has had less than five pressures in the first four games of the season. While that stat may be very nitpicky Buffalo could use a boost from Hughes.
Although the defensive line has vastly improved it still lacks the consistency that coach Sean McDermott and Bills fans want to see. While that boils down to the defensive line as a group it all starts with the veterans and leaders on the team. Hughes is one of the veteran leaders on this team who need to be more consistent and hope that his consistency trickles down with the younger players.
By no means is Hughes playing badly this year, but he also is not having the impact we are used to seeing him have. If the Bills expect to compete and potentially beat the Kansas City Chiefs, Jerry Hughes needs to play the way the Bills are accustomed to him playing.