3 players who could follow Bill Belichick out of New England this offseason
By Ryan Heckman
![New England Patriots, Trent Brown New England Patriots, Trent Brown](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_crop,w_6257,h_3519,x_0,y_245/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/images/GettyImages/mmsport/49/01hma07dsyz9wxsj1de2.jpg)
3. Josh Uche, EDGE
New England definitely shouldn't pay pass rusher Josh Uche this offseason when he becomes a free agent. During the 2022 season, Uche broke out while playing less than 40 percent of defensive snaps. He ended with 11.5 sacks in an incredibly efficient season, looking like he was finally going to be able to stay healthy and become a cornerstone piece of this defense.
But, 2023 saw him take a downward turn, ending with only 3.0 sacks while again playing less than 40 percent of snaps.
Although he had a down year in 2023, this could be a situation where Belichick bets on a guy he saw flashes from in hopes that Uche will regain his form next season.
Belichick has always been a man of his convictions, and will go down with the ship when it comes to sticking with them. If he decided he wanted to give Uche a shot with his next team, based on what he saw in 2022, I would completely understand.
Uche will also likely come a lot cheaper due to the down season he had last year. Joining a familiar face in Belichick, on his new team, could be a motivating factor for the former second-round pick.
feed