This could be pretty spot on summary from Rich Hill:
Hughes joins a beefy rotation with Malcom Brown, Alan Branch, and Vincent Valentine as the Patriots gear up to stop the rushing attacks of the Bills (twice), Browns, Bengals, and Steelers all before the bye week.
Anthony Johnson turned heads for his performance during the preseason, but he was unable to sustain that level of production during the regular season. The fact that Jabaal Sheard, Trey Flowers, and Chris Long can play the same sub-rusher role, and the eventual return of Rob Ninkovich meant that Johnson’s time was coming towards a close.
I also thought Johnson's energy was missed vs Miami. But the reality is Trey Flowers really stepped up.
I guess they wanted 4 big guys all along and after releasing Knighton and Kuhn - Hughes looked like the opportunity.
My first thought upon the news was Hicks as well. A smaller version though.
They did went one after another (87, 89) in 2012 draft. If only it turns out like last year!
EDIT: There is a reasonable chance Johnson comes back to PS. Id really like that.
Most prefer bigger bodies upfront.
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