The New England Patriots made EDGE Josh Uche a healthy inactive in Sunday's victory over the New York Jets. Uche is expected to be traded prior to the early November trade deadline, according to various reports. The Patriots are selling off assets in exchange for capital in the upcoming 2025 NFL Draft.
Uche's contract is understandably intriguing to interested contenders. The former second-round selection out of Michigan is currently in a contract year, earning a base salary of $1.3 million with a manageable cap charge of $2.9 million, per Over The Cap. Uche's contract is easy to fit into any budget.
Uche has recorded two sacks in seven appearances this season. Uche, who accumulated a career-high 11.5 sacks in 2022, has game-breaking potential. We've identified three potential fits via trade.
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are the most obvious buyer in the market for an edge defender. After losing superstar pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson to a gruesome season-ending injury, the Lions still managed to steamroll the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, 52-14. Head coach Dan Campbell relied on players like Al-Quadin Muhammad and Isaiah Thomas to rush the passer.
Despite the blowout victory, the Lions sacked Titans backup quarterback Mason Rudolph just once. The 6-1 Lions are currently the NFC's No. 1 seed and rightful conference favorites. They're legitimate Super Bowl contenders, but they must find ways to survive Hutchinson's absence. Uche would immediately become Detroit's best healthy pass rusher.
Kansas City Chiefs
The 7-0 Kansas City Chiefs are the league's last-standing undefeated squad, but that doesn't mean they're perfect. Just like how they acquired DeAndre Hopkins to address a lackluster passing attack, their pass-rushing outputs could use an injection of talent, too. The Chiefs have recorded a 26th-ranked 15 sacks.
They entered Sunday's game versus the Las Vegas Raiders with a middling 44% pass-rush win rate, according to ESPN Stats & Info. The likes of George Karlaftis, Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and Mike Danna have not been particularly impressive this season. Even after acquiring Hopkins, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach is still equipped with six total picks in 2025, including two in the third round. Trading for Uche would increase their chances of executing the three-peat.
San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, improving their record to 4-4. They are in a logjam in the NFC West with the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks sharing their record. Tiebreakers actually have the 49ers outside of the postseason in the current standings.
49ers general manager John Lynch was aggressive at last year's NFL trade deadline, acquiring both Charles Omenihu and Chase Young. Lynch is historically willing to part with capital in order to improve his defense's pass rush. San Francisco is dealing with various injuries at EDGE, with Drake Jackson out of the season and Yetur Gross-Matos on IR.
Nick Bosa is receiving very little help. Opposite starter Leonard Floyd has accumulated three sacks, as has former practice squad mainstay Sam Okuayinonu. Uche would immediately earn the majority of snaps next to Bosa.
