Andy Reid breaks his silence on the Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 midseason trade acquisition failure with DE/LB Joshua Uche
The Kansas City Chiefs learned something in 2024 when they made an in-season trade for DE/LB Joshua Uche. At the NFL trade deadline, Uche was billed as a solid addition to a lackluster pass rush, and the team expected him to get involved immediately. "We've had the benefit of having played against him, so we know […]
The Kansas City Chiefs learned something in 2024 when they made an in-season trade for DE/LB Joshua Uche.
At the NFL trade deadline, Uche was billed as a solid addition to a lackluster pass rush, and the team expected him to get involved immediately.
"We've had the benefit of having played against him, so we know he's a very aggressive, good pass rusher and good all-around player, good pass rusher," Chiefs HC Andy Reid said in November. "So we'll work him in with the defensive line rotation-wise, as long as he can handle everything. . . but he'll start today, working in there and getting used to what we do."
That didn't happen. The Chiefs used Uche very sparingly throughout his half-season in Kansas City, which wasn't the end of the world, given the minimal cost of the trade. Still, fans expected more from it.
Only once during his six games played with Kansas City did he play more than 11 defensive snaps, during an eight-tackle, 50-snap performance in Week 18's loss to the Denver Broncos. He didn't even play his natural position during that game, playing a good chunk of off-ball linebacker out of sheer need.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid discusses what went wrong with DE/LB Joshua Uche in 2024
Uche signed a one-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2025 NFL free agency period, prompting Eagles' media members to ask Reid about him at the NFL's annual meeting in Palm Beach, Florida. Reid gave Uche an endorsement while admitting the team's failure to integrate him into their system, especially at the midseason mark.
"Probably wasn't a great fit for what we do," Reid said, via ALLPHLY's Zach Berman. "And we got him late and we were trying to work him in. That's a tougher deal to do. Would have liked to see him throughout training camp so we have time to get him in there and go. By the time we got him, we were rolling. I'm not sure the fit was exactly what our defense needed … He's a great kid."
Some compounding factors, like Charles Omenihu's return and Felix Anudike-Uzomah's improvement as the season went on, probably also contributed to Uche's lack of opportunity (and further success).
Ultimately, Reid believes that Uche would've had a better chance of being a success story with training camp and an offseason of work under his belt in Kansas City. That's reasonable after seeing what happened in 2024. Integrating a player at the midseason point is challenging and how it works out can vary on many factors. Another player who would fall in that category is LT D.J. Humphries, who was signed after he was cleared from a prior knee injury. A full offseason of work in the Chiefs' system probably would have done him some good as well.
There's also some criticism of the NFL's in-season practice schedule. It doesn't always allow trades or free agent signings to be the band-aid fix teams seek. At the same time, this is a learning experience for Brett Veach and the pro personnel staff in Kansas City. They need to take what they've learned here and apply it moving forward. It also puts that much more pressure on getting things right during the 2025 NFL offseason, knowing there isn't always a quick fix to be had via trade.