How a Former Dolphins Star Inspired Newcomer Josh Uche

Miami Dolphins linebacker Josh Uche didn’t put on football pads until he signed up for Pop Warner in middle school, but he knew early that he wanted to be like five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Cameron Wake.

Growing up in South Florida, Uche drew inspiration from Wake’s ability to burst around offensive linemen and disrupt quarterbacks in the pocket.

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“Even at [Christopher] Columbus [High School], I was in this crazy four-point stance most of my career, and it was because I started off watching Cam Wake get after the quarterback,” Uche said during a Zoom media session with Dolphins reporters. “Every Sunday after church, my dad and I would watch the Dolphins, and I would see what he would do, and I'd try to go to practice and do the same exact thing.

“Whenever I talk to kids at my football camps, I tell them, ‘Find a player you like, go to practice, and try to do what you just saw them do.’ For me, it was Cam Wake. That crazy four-point stance and the way he’d just get off the ball.”

Wake’s 98 sacks with the Dolphins rank second in franchise history behind Hall of Famer Jason Taylor’s 131. Meanwhile, Uche arrives in Miami looking to turn consistent pressure into quarterback takedowns.

A 2020 second-round pick by the New England Patriots, Uche appeared in just 21 games over his first two seasons, logging four sacks and 31 total pressures. Everything clicked in his third season, when he recorded 12 sacks and 41 hurries on only 285 pass rush snaps in 2022, according to ProFootballFocus.

Uche hasn’t replicated that production, totaling six sacks over the last three years. However, advanced metrics hint that he’s one step away from game-changing production.

Where Uche Can Improve with the Dolphins

Uche, who has appeared in 76 games over six years, has started four times, including just once in the last two seasons. He played in 12 games last year with the Philadelphia Eagles, finishing with 23 tackles and one sack.

“Sack-wise, the numbers haven't been the same, but pressure-wise, win percentage rates, all these different specific analytics are still at that high rate, which shows I'm getting to the quarterback efficiently,” Uche said. “I think I just need to close off those home runs by getting there and getting there a step quicker.

“Statistically, the sacks haven't been the same, but the pressure win rates are there, and I'm right there. I think more opportunities equal a higher conversion rate for me. If you look at the snaps that I did that in, it was crazy. I was playing maybe fifteen, it was a crazy number. I don't know how sustainable it was, but it was a crazy number for that year, but I just know more reps equals more production for me.”

Uche recorded 21 quarterback hurries on 142 pass-rush attempts last season, according to PFF. He generated pressure on 16 percent of his opportunities while averaging just 16 pass-rush snaps per game.

Uche followed a similar trend in 2023, logging 28 hurries and six quarterback hits. Despite just three sacks, he was pressuring the quarterback on just over 16 percent of his pass rush snaps.

Close doesn’t impact the score or stat sheet, but Uche believes that he’s on the verge of turning those pressures into take-downs.

“It means I'm winning the hard part, which is those matchups, getting to the quarterback, getting off the ball, all the different intricacies, it's just the timing,” Uche said. “Sometimes it's just luck of the draw.

“I think those statistics show that I'm doing the hard part, the things that you want to see out of your pass rushers. It's just sometimes I get there, and sometimes you just got to keep being patient, keep swinging.”