With the exception of the Buffalo Bills, the Kansas City Chiefs have defeated nearly every club they have faced this season. Chiefs supporters are likely to wish they could forget November 17’s 30-21 loss to the Bills.
Now, one NFL analyst and specialist believes a guy on the Kansas City Chiefs’ defense could be picked up by the Bills during the summer.
Buffalo Bills Need a ‘Pass-Rush Specialist’
In a December 2 piece on each team’s roster heading into Week 14, Matt Holder of Bleacher Report speculates that edge-rusher Josh Uche of the Kansas City Chiefs could be signed by the Buffalo Bills in 2025 free agency.
In the post, Holder notes that he believes a competent edge-rusher is the Bills’ most pressing need, but he also argues that the team is “as big a threat to win the AFC as anyone at this point.”
Regarding where Uche fits in, Holder comments that Buffalo has “successfully transitioned from a lot of experienced players this season.” The Bills, he says, have dealt with those losses while still winning games.
Holder expects that the Bills will cut linebacker Von Miller during the offseason.
“They can cut the veteran before June 1 and save $8.5 million against the cap or wait until June 2 to get to $17.5 million in savings,” he told me. “Either way, the Bills could be looking for a pass-rush specialist to fill Miller’s job. Gregory Rousseau is the star of the Bills’ edge-rusher corps, but Uche would be an excellent complement.”
Josh Uche is a Recent Trade From the Patriots
Uche has recently become a hot issue in the NFL, after the New England Patriots traded him to the Chiefs in October.
“Kansas City is unlikely to ask Uche to do anything other than what he does best, get after the quarterback,” Mike Dussault of Patriots.com said in an October 28 story about the transfer. “However, it will be interesting to see how respected defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo deploys his newest pass-rushing piece.”
Uche’s history with the Patriots dates back to the second round of the 2020 NFL draft, when Bill Belichick selected him. Uche appeared in 58 games for the Patriots, recording 76 combined tackles and 20.5 sacks.
During an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” in October, Belichick discussed the transaction.
“They (the Chiefs) didn’t give up anything in my opinion,” Belichick remarked during the conversation. “Look at Josh Uche. He’s an excellent rusher. He hasn’t had much of an opportunity to rush for the Patriots this season because they’ve been so far behind. The situation has not been good.”
Garrett Podell of CBS Sports graded the Chiefs’ deal as a B, stating that Uche is “a rental, playing out a one-year, $3 million contract, but a sixth-round pick is a low price to pay for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions.”
He also awarded the Patriots a C+, writing, “New England is obviously in the midst of teardown, which is the right move for the franchise at this stage.”
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