Analyst Offers Bleak Take on Patriots Trade

The New England Patriots may have been able to get a better return for this key defender.
Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche (55) react on the field after a play against the New York Jets in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images
Nov 20, 2022; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche (55) react on the field after a play against the New York Jets in the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images / David Butler II-Imagn Images
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The New England Patriots traded edge rusher Josh Uche to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, landing a sixth-round draft pick in exchange.

It seemed like a rather slim return for a pass rusher who racked up 11.5 sacks two years ago, but nevertheless, the Patriots settled.

In a recent mailbag piece, Alex Barth of 98.5 The Sportshub fielded a query from a fan who questioned the logic behind New England's trade, and Barth seems to feel like the Pats got the short end of the stick.

"The return of a future sixth-round pick, to me, is reflective of his lack of production over the last year and a half. Even with that though, the return still feels low," Barth wrote. "If the Patriots had waited a week to make the move they could have potentially benefited from the edge market thinning out – but also would have risked teams looking for an edge defender moving on."

Uche logged just 13 tackles and a couple of sacks in seven games with the Patriots this year. New England actually made him a healthy scratch during the Pats' Week 8 win over the New York Jets, which was a rather clear indicator that the Patriots planned on moving him.

The 26-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Michigan, was selected by New England in the second round of 2020 NFL Draft.

After a couple of disappointing campaigns to begin his career, Uche broke out in 2022, but he then took a major step back with just 15 tackles and three sacks last season.

Still, in spite of Uche's rather skimpy output since 2023, it does seem that the Pats could have landed a more significant package in return for the pass rusher.

The Patriots probably aren't done making trades, either.

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