The Kansas City Chiefs may have a 7-0 record after eight weeks, but the AFC West juggernauts know there’s always room for improvement. That’s why, on Monday, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach agreed to ship a 2026 sixth-round draft pick to the New England Patriots in exchange for edge rusher Josh Uche.
The reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions just keep getting tougher to beat.
Kansas City’s latest move comes five days after acquiring veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans for a fifth-rounder that has the potential to become a fourth-round selection. Just as he did last week, Veach saw the opportunity to improve at a weakened position and made the most of it.
Uche, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, had spent the entirety of his career with the Patriots prior to Monday’s trade. He’ll now join the Chiefs who were in need of pass-rush help following Mike Danna’s pectoral injury.
What AFC West newcomer Josh Uche offers the Kansas City Chiefs
A five-year veteran, Uche has had notable success when going after opposing quarterbacks. Through 58 career contests, the 26-year-old has totaled 20.5 sacks with two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
Uche’s most prominent season came in 2022 where he recorded 11.5 sacks and both of his forced fumbles. Among players with at least 100 pass-rush snaps that season, Uche’s 12.8% of snaps that resulted in a pressure ranked fourth-highest while his 19.2% win rate against opposing blockers ranked ninth-highest league-wide.
The most impressive part of the new Kansas City edge rusher’s career is his ability to produce in a more-limited role. Each season he’s been a pro, including his disruptive ’22 season, Uche has played less than 40% of his team’s defensive snaps.
This season, playing 35% of all defensive snaps in New England, Uche has two sacks to his name with 13 total tackles. The now-former Patriot has caused 13 pressures on 96 pass-rushes while beating his blocker 17.2% of the time.
Uche becomes a free agent at the end of the season; for now, he’s the newest member of the Kansas City Chiefs.
*Top Photo: AP Photo/Greg M. Cooper
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