The Eagles have agreed to a one-year deal with veteran edge rusher Joshua Uche, according to a league source who confirmed the news to NBC Sports Philadelphia.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was the first to report the agreement.
Uche, 26, was a second-round draft pick in 2020 out of Michigan. He spent the first four and a half years of his career with the Patriots before being traded to the Chiefs in October for a sixth-round pick.
Over his five-year NFL career, Uche has recorded 20 1/2 sacks and 34 quarterback hits. His standout season came in 2022, when he registered 11 1/2 sacks with the Patriots.
After his trade to the Chiefs in 2024, Uche played sparingly. He logged only 87 defensive snaps during the regular season, with 50 of those coming in the season finale, and was inactive for four games. Uche did not play in the postseason for the Chiefs, including being inactive for Super Bowl LIX against the Eagles.
In his only career game against the Eagles, the 2023 season opener, Uche sacked Jalen Hurts. The Eagles had a close look at Uche during their joint practice with the Patriots in New England in August 2024, where Uche participated and even had a brief scuffle.
In his impressive 2022 campaign, Uche notched 11 1/2 sacks, 49 pressures, and a career-high pressure rate of 18.5%. Though his sack total decreased, Uche maintained a pressure rate of 15.3% in 2023 and 13.6% in New England last year before the trade to Kansas City. The Eagles will hope to get him back to that level under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Leading up to free agency, ProFootballFocus had highlighted Uche as an underrated option. The site praised his breakout 2022 season, where he earned the eighth-highest pass-rushing grade (87.8) among edge defenders and posted the second-best pressure rate (21.1%) in the league. Despite being a one-dimensional player primarily used in passing situations, Uche consistently generated pressure, particularly on third downs. However, his performance declined afterward, and his mid-season trade to the Chiefs didn’t turn things around. Still, at just 26 years old, Uche’s past potential makes him an intriguing prospect for teams to take a chance on.
With Josh Sweat leaving for the Cardinals in free agency, this move strengthens the Eagles’ edge rusher position. They still have Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and Bryce Huff on the roster, and it remains to be seen whether Brandon Graham will retire or return for another season.
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