Other than the Houston Texans, who seemingly are signing new players every day, perhaps no team experienced a bigger roster renovation in the 2021 offseason than the New England Patriots. Bill Belichick clearly did not enjoy watching the 2020 postseason or, specifically, watching Tom Brady win it all with another team.
He and the rest of the New England brain trust went out and backed up the Brink’s truck for free agency, signing more big-money contracts than pretty much every other year he’s been leading the charge in New England combined.
Despite the plethora of big-money contracts and high expectations for the veteran players on this New England Patriots roster, expectations also remain high for the team’s high draft selections. In particular, one player who is flying under the radar that could possibly be a big-time breakout candidate in 2021 is 2020 second-round pick Josh Uche.
Uche was the 60th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Michigan, part of a vaunted defensive front that produced 2021 first-round pick Kwity Paye and potential 2022 first-round pick Aidan Hutchinson.
Playing in just nine games his rookie season, and in those nine games only racking up 178 defensive snaps, it’s easy to see why Uche might be a bit overlooked.
Still among those 178 snaps, Uche had seven quarterbacks hits, a sack, two tackles for loss, and 10 total pressures.
That kind of production in such a limited number of snaps spanning over nine games speaks to what is arguably Uche’s greatest trait as a player, which is his tenacity. The type of effort this guy plays with is what got him picked in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he’s also got an extremely quick get-off when the ball is snapped.
Uche has been impressing at New England Patriots OTAs, per those who are on the ground reporting from there, and he will have plenty of competition for snaps once again in the 2021 season with all of the guys New England has brought in.
Still, if he can carry over what he did last season as a rookie into training camp and preseason play, the Patriots will have no choice but to get this kid out on the field.
The New England Patriots utilize their defenders all over the formation and Uche can rush the passer from the edge, blitzing up the middle, coming on a stunt — you name it. He’s going to give the Patriots efficient reps and with the other veteran players attracting more attention, there’s no question he’s poised for a breakout year.