Houston Texans continue to add to defense, sign Jerry Hughes

The acquisitions just don’t stop for the Houston Texans.

Stop me if you’ve heard this off-season: the Houston Texans are signing another veteran defensive lineman. This time, it’s another Texas native, Jerry Hughes. Hughes was born in Sugarland, Texas, and attended college at TCU.

Hughes spent the first three years of his career in Indianapolis with the Colts after being the 31st overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. When he signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2012, he had back-to-back seasons with ten sacks.

Ironically, former Texans 1st-round pick Mario Williams was on the same line as him for those first two seasons in Buffalo.

But ever since that point, Hughes hasn’t been able to repeat that success and has had an up-and-down career since then. However, it’s not like injuries have kept him from performing, as he’s only missed one game in the last decade.

Houston Texans signed Buffalo’s longest-tenured player in Jerry Hughes.

Hughes hasn’t been the most prolific pass rusher, but he’s been far from the worst. The 34-year-old chose to sign with the Texans than the Browns. So maybe it’s just one last ride for Hughes, but he can teach a lot to the younger players on the roster.

This is the second Bills defensive lineman that Houston has signed this off-season (Mario Addison), so more advanced plans may be coming. Hughes switched between a defensive end and an outside linebacker spot multiple times in his career.

Hughes has also been stout in his run defense, something that teams like the Colts tore Houston apart with last season. The potential starting defensive line could feature Maliek Collins, Hughes, Addison, and Ross Blacklock.

If there’s a way to help a young team perform better and learn, it’s through veteran players that have been mentioned above. So it’s going to be interesting watching this starting four come together.