The 7-0 Kansas City Chiefs beefed up their pass rush on Monday by acquiring New England Patriots edge rusher Josh Uche in exchange for a 2026 sixth-round pick, per CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
A trade like this makes sense for both sides. Kansas City is the first team to start 7-0 after winning back-to-back Super Bowls since the 1990 San Francisco 49ers, according to CBS Sports Research. That 49ers team reached the NFC Championship, but they lost to the New York Giants just two wins away from a three-peat. No team has three-peated in the Super Bowl era, since 1966, but that’s exactly what the Chiefs are attempting to do with this move for New England’s former 2020 second-round pick.
The Chiefs have held opponents to 28 points or fewer in 36 consecutive games, which is the longest streak in the NFL and the longest such streak by a team since the 2005-2007 New England Patriots. However, like any true contender, they are looking to shore up any and all weaknesses before the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
They acquired five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins last week, and this week it’s Uche.
The Chiefs have a pretty consistent pass rush in that their 38.9% quarterback pressure ranks as the sixth best in the NFL, but they are struggling to finish those rushes with sacks. Kansas City’s 15.0 team sacks this season are tied for the seventh-fewest in the NFL, and their 6.1% sack rate is the 11th worst in the league. They have struggled to get consistent pass rush production outside of edge rusher George Karlaftis (3.0 sacks) and All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones (3.0 sacks).
Uche’s 20.5 sacks since entering the league in 2020 rank as the second most in New England behind former Patriot Matt Judon’s 32.0 in that span. He broke out with a career-high 11.5 in 2022, but he has since failed to register more than three sacks in any other year of his five-year career. Uche is up to two already this season. New England held him out of Sunday’s win against the Jets in order to keep him healthy before trading him. As for the 2-6 Patriots, they get another draft pick to supplement their rebuild around 2024 third overall quarterback Drake Maye.
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Author: Garrett Podell
October 28, 2024 | 1:31 pm
