Former Patriots and Chiefs defender gets a fresh start to prove himself with Super Bowl LIX champion Eagles
Many were excited at the prospect of pass rusher Josh Uche joining the Chiefs when Kansas City acquired him in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2024 season. Unfortunately, his time in Kansas City was a bust. Uche was only active for six out of 10 games, recording just 10 total tackles […]
Many were excited at the prospect of pass rusher Josh Uche joining the Chiefs when Kansas City acquired him in a trade with the New England Patriots during the 2024 season.
Unfortunately, his time in Kansas City was a bust. Uche was only active for six out of 10 games, recording just 10 total tackles on 37 snaps played. Most of that came in a meaningless Week 18 game when the Chiefs rested their starters for the postseason.
Now, Uche will get a fresh start with the team who beat Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX, the Philadelphia Eagles.
It's a one-year deal for Uche in Philadelphia, who will try to regain his previous form during his days with the Patriots. His best year came in 2022, recording 11.5 sacks, 25 quarterback pressures, 27 total tackles, and two forced fumbles with New England.
Kansas City hoped that Uche could at least provide a bump to their defensive front seven as a rotational pass rusher, but he could never get going. Here's A to Z Sports managing editor Charles Goldman's analysis of Uche's time with the Chiefs:
"Uche will go down as one of the most disappointing midseason trade acquisitions during Brett Veach's tenure as general manager. He was billed as a potential pass-rush addition to a lackluster unit in Kansas City, but that never came to fruition. He only once played more than 11 snaps in a single game this season, an eight-tackle, 50-snap performance in Week 18's loss to the Denver Broncos, where he mostly played off-ball linebacker. He just never seemed to get up to speed with the Chiefs’ system. Charles Omenihu’s return to action from his 2023 knee injury thwarted any real chance he may have had to contribute during the 2024 NFL season and postseason."
The good news is that K.C. only surrendered a 2026 six-round pick to acquire Uche. However, if he gets back on track with the Eagles, who have a history of developing pass rushers, it won't be a great look for the Chiefs.
At the end of the day, there's always a level of risk when making a trade, signing a free agent, or drafting a player. The Chiefs could look to add another rotational defensive end through free agency or the draft, and they definitely have a big need for a starting defensive tackle opposite Chris Jones.
