It would have been impossible to keep josh Uche around after his rookie season with the new england patriots ended. But this season, uche lost his competitive spirit and the patriots underwent a coaching change under jerod Mayo, so things are likely to change. Offers for a large new deal with Uche may not be forthcoming.
This is particularly pertinent considering that uche’s form has decreased this season. This year, he only managed 3.0 sacks, down from 11.5 sacks the year before.
Despite the possibility of other factors, uche’s overall pro football focus grades dropped from 83.1 on defense with an 81.8 pass-rushing score in 2022 to 57.1 on defense with a 66.8 pass-rushing rating. Uche dropped from 14th to 94th place among 119 edge rushersindeed, Uche and Mayo had good chemistry. Mack Wilson, uche’s teammate, called him a “great guy, quick, and versatile player.” he’s younger, but he’s still got basketball skills, so i look up to him. But he’s a free agent this summer, and there’s a good chance that the patriots will allow him to leave.
The team is expected to devote more resources to the offensive rather than focusing on defense and running the offense on a shoestring under bill Belichick.
Despite the fact that new england has a lot of cap room, this is the case. PFF is urging the raiders, the pats’ AFC rivals, to sign uche as a free agent. in an article published on wednesday titled “one free agent each NFL team should pursue in the 2024 offseason,” the raiders selected tyree wilson with the seventh overall pick, but a maxx crosby-like workload is expected of him.
This offseason, it would be advantageous to have another tenacious pass rusher. After collecting 56 pressures from 285 pass-rushing snaps, uche had an 87.8 pff pass-rushing mark in 2022. The raiders may use him to relieve crosby as a pass-rushing specialist.
The patriots could also choose to keep uche, considering what they gain. Because pass-rushers are in high demand in the nfl, uche will most likely be compensated even if he plays sparingly. Possibly. Uche is set to sign a four-year, $58 million deal, which will raise his annual salary to $14.5 million this summer, according to spotrac. That could be too much for a guy who sees little action, and pff claims that he will be given a $7.25 million one-year make-good deal. If he can replicate his 2022 success, he could make a lot more money. josh uche, the head coach of the patriots, explained the reasons for his drop in tackle totals this season.
One of the factors was the absence of patriots star linebacker matthew Judon, who was out of action for the entire season after only four games. In his first four games under Judon, Uche recorded three quarterback hits, but he would only record three more for the rest of the season.
He continued by saying that the previous season, instead of just getting to the quarterback, he aimed more at holding him in the pocket. Even if he wasn’t hitting the quarterback as often, he said that this enhanced his efficiency. what i do on screen matters the most, in my opinion, when it comes to stress, bags, and all that. What other players, coaches, and real-world observers observe is more important than the end result.
With the sacks, it’s not always the case that everything must be aligned exactly at the right time. You just have to keep going. In a patriots.com interview from december, Uche said, “i just want to make good movies.”