Getty Jerry Hughes reacts to a play against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The Buffalo Bills could be losing one of their last remaining links to the drought years, one insider predicts.
With training camp set to start in a little over two weeks, there has been rising speculation about what the final roster might look like and whether any veterans could face the chopping block. Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News ran through a list of “surprise cut” candidates, and named one of the most accomplished pass rushers in franchise history.
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Bills Could Face Tough Decisions
As Skurski noted, the Bills have assembled a relatively lean roster without many veterans who have underperformed their contracts, which meant no one stands out as a likely candidate to be cut. At the same time, general manager Brandon Beane has improved depth nearly across the board, so the team will inevitably have to be parting ways with some talented players.
One of those could be defensive end Jerry Hughes, Skurski speculated. He noted that Hughes is entering the final year of his contract and holds the second-largest salary cap number on the team with $9.45 million. Releasing Hughes before the season starts could save the Bills $6.35 million, Skurski wrote.
Hughes has seen his sack production wane in recent years, but Skurski noted that he is still one of the team’s most effective pass rushers.
Jerry Hughes was the highest graded defensive player (75.0) in 2020 for the #Bills #BillsMafia
“It also means something that Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have kept him around while turning over the rest of the roster,” Skurski wrote. “It’s clear they value his production and leadership, making him what would be perhaps the biggest surprise on this list if the Bills were to move on.”
Hughes Could Have Competition
Even if he were to make final cuts, Hughes could return to the Bills with a smaller role than he’s played in recent years. After an up-and-down rookie season, defensive end A.J. Epenesa has been earning the praise of Buffalo coaches during the team’s mini-camp and looks to be taking on a more prominent part in the team’s defensive line rotation.
As Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News noted, Epenesa has been settling into a more traditional playing weight after dropping down to 240 pounds last year. He has already moved back up to 250 and plans to play closer to 260 in the upcoming season, closer to his weight in college.
As Gaughan noted, Epenesa’s work in the offseason has caught the attention Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who also noted that he’s benefitting from a more traditional offseason after the COVID-impacted one last year.
“Now he’s more stabilized and has gotten stronger,” Frazier said. “He’s more explosive. He’s really benefited from staying here and working with our strength staff. That’s something he couldn’t do last offseason because of all the things that were going on.”
Though there may be more competition for playing time, Hughes appears likely to return to the Bills roster in 2021. The team made it a priority this offseason to bring back key players from last year, including linebacker Matt Milano, and Hughes remains one of the highest-performing defensive players.
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