55 Jerry Hughes DE

Hughes posted six total tackles and two sacks in Sunday's 9-3 loss to the Panthers.

Hughes has been a good fit for first-year head coach Sean McDermott's new 4-3 defense from the day they instituted it. He posted back-to-back 10-sack seasons for the Bills when the team ran a 4-3 scheme, then struggled -- like a lot of his teammates did -- in Rex Ryan's defense the last two seasons, posting five and six sacks, respectively. Based on the way Hughes has put pressure on the quarterback the first two games, it's looking like he'll end up being a sneaky IDP choice.

Hughes, who spent much of his time as a linebacker in Rex Ryan's defense the past two seasons, is expected to shift back to end for new coach Sean McDermott, BuffaloBills.com reports. "Both of those guys are great players. We look forward to working with them," McDermott said of Hughes and Shaq Lawson this week. "Dynamic players coming off the football and they should fit our system well."

While Hughes' tackle totals have been incredibly consistent in his four seasons with the Bills, staying within the 46-53 range all four seasons, he was a far better sack specialist when he was in Buffalo's 4-3 defense in 2013 and 2014, when he totaled 20 sacks compared to just 11 in two seasons under Ryan. McDermott is also known for being able to put pressure on opposing offenses from his Carolina days. All this spells good news for Hughes' IDP value.

Hughes (hamstring) practiced fully for the second straight day Friday and is not listed on the injury report for Saturday's game against the Dolphins.

Hughes will play and continue his rotation with Lorenzo Alexander and Shaq Lawson for the two outside linebacker spots. With six sacks, Hughes would need two huge games to post his third career season with double-digit QB takedowns.

Hughes (hamstring) was listed as a full participant in Thursday's practice.

Hughes was limited in Wednesday's session due to a hamstring issue. However, his complete participation Thursday removes nearly all concern regarding his availability for Saturday's game against the Dolphins.

Hughes (hamstring) was listed as a limited participant for Wednesday's practice.

Hughes' availability shouldn't be an issue for this week's game against the Dolphins, where he'll try to build off the sack he put up against the Browns in Week 15, one that followed a four-game sack-less streak. Hughes, who's now in a rotation with Lorenzo Alexander and rookie Shaq Lawson, saw action on 74 percent of the defensive snaps in Sunday's win over Cleveland.