The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t done wheeling and dealing ahead of the NFL trade deadline. After moving to 7-0 with a win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, the Chiefs spent Monday morning working the phones, trading a 2026 6th round pick for New England Patriots pass rusher Josh Uche.
It’s a pretty shrewd move for the Pats, considering Uche was close to being moved for a Day 2 pick last year but now goes for a Day 3 pick for the draft after this upcoming one. Uche and the Chiefs are a great fit both for the player and what Kansas City needs along their defensive front.
While the Chiefs are still one of the NFL’s top defensive units, they’re only around league average in ESPN’s Pass Rush Win Rate (14th before the win on Sunday). In addition, while Kansas City is seventh in Pressure Rate, their sack rate is 29th in the entire NFL. They’re bringing pressure and getting wins up front, but can’t bring QBs down. Uche is a different body type than the Chiefs currently have on the edge, being bendier and winning with burst and speed rather than powering straight through the chest of opposing tackles. His ability against the run is a work in progress, but with what Kansas City traded for him, this seems to be a move made to get a designated pass rusher.
The move coincides at the perfect time for Kansas City, who also gets EDGE Charles Omenihu back from injury soon. Bringing both those guys in for this defense will give them more depth and layers to their pass rush, which is exactly what’s needed come playoff time.
For New England, this is just another way of moving off a player that more than likely wasn’t going to stay around for a long time. Uche was on a one year deal that expired at the end of this season, so this is essentially getting a 2026 late round pick back for a rental of a former player. As New England continues to set the foundation for their rebuild, stockpiling draft picks is the way to go.
This is a win-win for both sides.
