Patriots Trade Star Pass Rusher to Chiefs

The New England Patriots have traded a key defender to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Jan 1, 2023; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche (55) reacts with defensive tackle Christian Barmore (90) after a sack against the Miami Dolphins during the second half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images / Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

The New England Patriots have traded pass rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs, via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The move does not come as much of a surprise, as the Patriots made Uche a healthy scratch during their win over the New York Jets in Week 8.

Uche has logged 13 tackles and a couple of sacks thus far this season.

The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Michigan, was selected by New England in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

He got off to a very slow start, posting nine tackles and a sack during his rookie campaign and then registering 12 tackles and three sacks in Year 2. Uche then broke out in 2022, racking up 27 tackles, 11.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles.

It appeared that Uche was on the verge of ascending into the elite echelon of NFL edge rushers, but he then essentially laid an egg last year, finishing with just 15 tackles and three sacks in 15 games.

The Patriots ended up re-signing Uche to a one-year deal, perhaps hoping that he would increase his production in order to flip him in a trade.

While Uche certainly has not been all that productive in 2024, he has obviously achieved enough in his career (mainly in 2022) to attract interest from other teams—including the defending champion Chiefs.

Uche is a pass-rushing specialist who has only played in 35 percent of the Pats' defensive snaps in games he has played this year.

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