Hughes started at defensive end and saw his first action of the preseason in Thursday's game against the 49ers, Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle reports.
The 34-year-old Hughes, who signed with Houston during the offseason after a nine-year career in Buffalo, was dominant while in the game. He hounded quarterback Trey Lance on the first drive, forcing an incompletion on third-and-17. He later made life difficult for San Francisco, making three consecutive plays to scuttle a drive, including sealing off a running lane on fourth-and-2, leading to a stop of running back Trey Sermon. Hughes and Jonathan Greenard are expected to be the starting edge rushers, which should help a unit that ranked fifth-lowest in the league last year in quarterback pressures (20.7%), per Pro Football Reference.