When the New England Patriots made Joshua Uche inactive for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets, the writing appeared to be on the wall. Less than 24 hours later, the shoe dropped: the Patriots traded him to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2026 sixth-round selection.
A former second-round draft pick, Uche is leaving New England having appeared in 59 games. He has 20.5 sacks and two forced fumbles on his résumé.
The move seemed inevitable. Was it the right one to make, though? Let’s grade.
Joshua Uche: Traded to Chiefs
Bernd Buchmasser: At his best, Uche can be one of the most disruptive pass rushers in the NFL. However, his best was a rare sight during his Patriots career: outside of an impressive stretch in late 2022, he never was able to string games together on a consistent basis. Moving on from him therefore makes sense, even though the return might seem underwhelming. Given that he only notched five sacks in his last 22 games, however, nothing more could realistically have been expected. | B+
Brian Hines: Uche was never able to replicate his 2022 production as a pass rusher and found his playing time decrease of late after taking a team-friendly deal this offseason. The writing was on the wall, which makes it worthwhile for New England to secure compensation (even a future sixth rounder) in return. | B
Matt St. Jean: Joshua Uche was a productive player for the Patriots in 2022, but he has never been able to find that groove again in New England. Combine that with his limits as a run defender making it hard for him to contribute on early downs, and it felt like he had maxed out what he could do here. A 2026 sixth-rounder isn’t the ideal compensation, but it is better than letting him go for nothing. | B
How would you grade the trade, though? Please head down to the comment section to let us know!
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