When then-third-year edge rusher Josh Uche notched 11.5 sacks for the New England Patriots during the 2022 campaign, the Michigan product looked to be on the precipice of becoming a breakout star.
Instead, though, Uche’s production sharply regressed the following year, as he recorded only 3 sacks and 15 tackles before the team traded their 2020 second-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs midway through the very next season.
However, now in 2026, Uche is playing some of his best football since that aforementioned 2022 season, potentially making him an intriguing trade target for a Patriots team with a struggling pass rush that has generated just the 27th most pressures league-wide this year.
Meanwhile, Uche’s production has been one of the few bright spots for a 0-4 Miami Dolphins squad that would likely be interested in swapping the veteran for draft compensation.
Why Josh Uche returning to the Patriots would make sense
Through the first four games of this year, Uche has already matched or exceeded his 2025 season totals in sacks (1), pressures (4), and tackles for loss (2), while playing a career-high 61% of his team’s defensive snaps.
That additional playing time for Uche (who has never been on the field for more than 38% of his team’s defensive snaps in a single year) has translated to high-level on-field success, with Pro Football Focus giving the seven-year veteran an 84.0 overall grade, the seventh-highest mark out of 114 qualifying players at his position.
In consecutive offseasons, New England has spent big money on free-agent pass-rush help, signing Harold Landry III and Dre'Mont Jones over the last two years, respectively, but both players have already missed time due to injury in 2026.
As a result, the Patriots have struggled to pressure opposing signal callers, giving opponents time to extend plays, allowing an average of 30.6 seconds per play and ranking 27th in the NFL in that category.
Adding Uche would not only give the Patriots a solid rotational piece for pass-rushing situations, but his athleticism also makes him a presumably better fit in their defensive schemes than some of the team’s current depth options.
This season, New England has occasionally had edge defenders drop into coverage, a concept Landry, Jones, and even rookie Gabe Jacas can handle. Still, it also led to Elijah Ponder being at least partially responsible for giving up a touchdown in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars as injuries to the team’s starters mounted.
Trading for Uche would be a low-risk high-reward move
A productive veteran on a one-year deal like Uche will likely become an increasingly valuable trade chip for the rebuilding Dolphins as the season progresses, but acquiring him probably won’t come at a major premium.
With Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox projecting that Uche will net only a conditional 2027 sixth-round pick, the Patriots should be willing to make that low-investment gamble to reinforce their pass rush.
As the Patriots have already felt the repercussions of numerous injuries along their defensive line, shoring up this unit makes sense for the franchise, as their expectations for another deep playoff run this year remain intact despite several early-season stumbles.
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