Why Jerry Hughes Could Be Biggest Signing of a Busy Buffalo Bills Offseason

The Buffalo Bills have done a thing or two this offseason. They traded for running back LeSean McCoy. They signed offensive lineman Richie Incognito, wide receiver Percy Harvin and tight end Charles Clay. They added quarterback Matt Cassel.

But perhaps none of those moves were as significant as Buffalo's re-signing of defensive end Jerry Hughes. The Bills chose not to use their franchise tag on Hughes, but they still managed to reach an agreement with him on March 9, just one day before free agency began.

The deal was worth at least $45 million over five years with $20 million guaranteed, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com:

"

#Bills and Jerry Hughes have a 5-year deal worth at least $45M with $20M guaranteed to keep him in Buffalo.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2015"

Sure, the Bills upgraded their shoddy O-line by adding Incognito (and the ugly baggage he carries). Yes, McCoy will play a crucial role in Greg Roman's ground-and-pound offense. And certainly, Clay is among the NFL's top tight ends. 

But by signing Hughes, the Bills not only return one of their best players but also keep the best defensive line in the league intact. Under defensive-minded head coach Rex Ryan, Buffalo will keep opposing quarterbacks under constant duress with the four-headed monster of Hughes, Mario Williams, Kyle Williams and Marcell Dareus.

Last season, Hughes had a career-high 53 tackles and 10 sacks. The year before—his first season in Buffalo after three disappointing campaigns with the Colts—he had 46 tackles and 10 sacks. Over the past two years, his 20 sacks ranks fourth among AFC defensive ends, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. He's also forced five fumbles and returned one for a touchdown.

More advanced metrics also point to Hughes' dominance: As Bleacher Report's Tyler Conway points out, Pro Football Focus' pass-rushing productivity metric had Hughes as the seventh-best 4-3 defensive end in 2014, creating the second-most quarterback hurries of any player. 

Together, Hughes and his D-linemates are unstoppable. Since 2013, the Bills are tops in the NFL in sacks with 111.  

The biggest question now regarding Hughes is how he'll fit into the team's new defensive scheme. Ryan and first-year defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman are expected to run a 3-4 defense, unlike the 4-3 the Bills ran in 2014 under Jim Schwartz.

Buffalo ran a 3-4 defense the year before under Mike Pettine, with Hughes playing only 52 percent of snaps, according to Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle. In the 4-3, he played 71 percent of snaps, so it's worth asking whether Hughes has less value in a 3-4 scheme, where he may be asked to set up at linebacker more often.

However, Brian Galliford of Buffalo Rumblings explains that Ryan's defense is really only a 3-4 in name. In practice, Ryan will be able to use Hughes in any way he sees fit to maximize his utility:

"

Ryan's defense is actually a 4-3 Under. It looks like a 3-4, but it plays like...well, however Ryan wants it to play like on a given down. ... One of the outside linebackers (the weak-side player)...plays with a hand in the dirt like an end. The other outside linebacker has more of a contain-coverage role on base downs; Jerry Hughes is capable of playing it, and so is Manny Lawson. ... The biggest difference is that the front takes a traditional linebacker off the field in favor of an extra defensive lineman.

"

Hughes is on board.

"From what I've been hearing from Rex is that we're going to be doing a little bit of everything," he said (via Matthew Fairburn of Syracuse.com). "When you hear that, that's exciting right there."

Bill Wippert/Associated Press

In 2013, Hughes could be categorized as a situational pass-rusher. But the Bills now fully recognize his value, and if they planned to use him only 52 percent of the time in 2015, they would not have given him a five-year deal. In Ryan's defense, Hughes' $20 million guaranteed will likely become a bargain. 

Hughes, who will turn 27 in August, recorded 10 sacks in a 3-4 defense while playing just over half the snaps in 2013. Imagine what Hughes can do under Ryan, with two years of experience under his belt, as he enters the prime of his career alongside the league's most fearsome D-line.

For Bills fans, it should be an absolute joy to watch.