Tag: Josh Uche

Patriots downgrade two players as out for Sunday’s game vs Dolphins

The Patriots officially ruled out two players on Saturday.

A day after revealing linebacker Josh Uche and offensive lineman Vederian Lowe as questionable on the injury report, the New England Patriots are officially ruling them out for Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Uche has been limited throughout the week with an ankle/toe injury, but his absence from this game is especially eye-raising considering all of the trade buzz surrounding his name.

There’s a chance we might have seen the veteran pass-rusher play his final snap of football in New England. Of course, the Patriots could decide to keep him on the roster and deal with his contract after the season. But if they could move him for a draft pick, particularly a third or fourth-rounder, they might consider making a deal by the October 31 deadline.

Meanwhile, Lowe isn’t dealing with trade buzz as much as he’s dealing with the pressure of trying to prove himself on the football field. Being sidelined with an ankle injury certainly won’t help his case.

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Stock up, stock down for 12 Patriots players heading into Week 8

Who’s stock is up, and who’s stock is down in New England?

The 2023 season hasn’t gone as expected for the New England Patriots.

Those that expected the team to be competitive in the AFC East are likely surprised to see them sitting at 2-5 with little hope of competing for a playoff spot.

But even the team’s biggest skeptics didn’t expect to see them sink to the bottom of the division with talks of them being in line for a top-five pick in the 2024 NFL draft. There’s obviously the possibility of things changing with the Patriots coming off a huge upset win over the Buffalo Bills.

If they can somehow beat the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the schedule will lighten significantly, and they’ll have a real chance to start racking up wins. It’s a long-shot chance that’s heavily dependent on the players’ ability to elevate their game down the stretch.

Let’s take a look at the stock report for 12 Patriots players ahead of their Week 8 clash with the Dolphins. Who’s up and who’s down in New England?

Trade interest reportedly picking up most for Patriots’ pass-rusher

One Patriots player is reportedly receiving the bulk of the trade interest.

The New England Patriots could be looking to become sellers by the trade deadline.

Whether they do or don’t could be determined by what happens in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. A loss would drop the team to 2-6 with little to no chance of climbing back into the playoff hunt. However, a victory would make them long-shot hopefuls for a turnaround season.

In that case, they could decide to play the season out with their current roster intact.

Regardless of what scenario unfolds, Uche is a prime candidate to be traded by the Patriots. He’s playing on an expiring deal, and he isn’t getting enough reps to justify his spot on the roster. The emergence of linebacker Anfernee Jennings has also made it easier for the Patriots to move on if they choose to do so.

When appearing on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand”, NFL insider Albert Breer talked about the latest on Uche’s contract situation.

“So my understanding is they’re listening on everybody,” Breer said. “I think the one guy that has come up the most as a potential guy that could get moved is Josh Uche. I think part of the reason was, A, he isn’t producing the way that he was last year. B, he’s a little bit of a weird fit for the defense because there are those types of players that’ll be three-down players in some defenses, but in the Patriots defense, that kind of guy isn’t.

“He’s a really good player, but in the Patriots defense, he’s a little bit of a one-trick pony, where you have to use him a certain way. But he could be really useful to another team. He’s valuable, and he has a premium skill, which is as a pass-rusher. So, they’re gonna listen on, my understanding is, just about everybody. Now, that’s within reason. Like, they’re not gonna trade Christian Gonzalez off IR.”

The Patriots are in a position to stockpile draft picks and attempt to reload their roster in 2024. There are glaring holes on the roster, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.

The chance for an Uche trade to potentially net them a third or fourth-round draft pick would be considered a win at this point.

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8 players the Vikings should trade for at the trade deadline

The Vikings could end up being buyers at the trade deadline and there are plenty of targets that could help them this season and beyond

The Minnesota Vikings not only saved their season by winning against the San Francisco 49ers 22-17 on Monday night, but they arguably changed their strategy at the trade deadline.

After a 1-4 start, the Vikings were rumored to trade multiple players, most notably Danielle Hunter. In the last year of his contract, it’s easy to see why the Vikings might be willing to trade him, but they aren’t the kind of team to just sell off parts when they have a chance to make a run.

This season, the Vikings have played better than their record indicates. They are 16th in overall DVOA while being 14th on offense and 15th on defense. That’s a massive improvement over last season and you can see i in the on field product.

The Vikings make an aggressive move last year in acquiring T.J. Hockenson at the trade deadline with the idea of signing him to be a pillar of the Vikings’ future. Could they try that again this season? There are players available that fit the bill, along with others that would be inexpensive one year rentals

The team really has only one area they need is up front on defense. The defensive line is undermanned and the pass rush needs depth with Marcus Davenport being unreliable so far this season.

Even with Hunter on the team, he can’t rush the passer by himself. Getting him a long-term running mate or replacing him long-term needs to be a priority and there are options in the trade market to do just that.

Who could the Vikings target at the trade deadline to bolster their team for the rest of the season and beyond? We identified eight players the Vikings could potentially make a move for.

10 players the Jaguars could pursue before the trade deadline

With a week until the NFL trade deadline, these 10 players could draw the Jaguars’ interest.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are leading the way in the AFC South and just a game behind the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the AFC. If ever there was a time for the Jaguars to push their chips to the middle of the table, it’s now.

That doesn’t necessarily mean the Jaguars need to trade away their next three first-round picks to get a superstar. Making some kind of move to get a boost down the stretch makes too much sense, though.

Jacksonville could use some help at left guard after rotating between Ben Bartch and Tyler Shatley early in the season. But no area is in more need of improvement than the team’s lackluster pass rush.

While Josh Allen has provided the Jaguars with seven sacks through the first seven weeks, the rest of the defense has just six combined sacks. Only four teams (none with winning records) have fewer sacks.

With the Oct. 31 trade deadline just a week away, here are 10 players who would be worth pursuing for the Jaguars:

6 Patriots players should be considered likely trade candidates

What Patriots players will likely be on the trade block?

How big of sellers will the New England Patriots be by the October 31 trade deadline?

That’s the big question with the 2023 season likely dead in the water for the team. They have a 1-5 record with their next two games against the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins.

By the time Week 9 rolls around, the Patriots will probably already be checkmated into submission.

Help isn’t coming to save New England. So their best hope now is trading players for draft assets. It’s important to note that every player is expendable for the right price, including quarterback Mac Jones. It makes more sense for the Patriots to keep him on the roster, however, unless they get a good enough offer.

Let’s take a look at six Patriots players that are likely trade candidates for the team.

What would Patriots LB Josh Uche’s trade value be?

If the Patriots are sellers by the trade deadline, what could they get in return for LB Josh Uche?

Some tough decisions will have to be made by the New England Patriots ahead of the trade deadline, and linebacker Josh Uche is a name that clearly stands out as a potential bargaining chip.

So what could the Patriots get for him?

Two front office executives told the Boston Herald’s Andrew Callahan that Uche’s value should be a third or fourth-round draft pick. A third-round pick would be solid value in return for the Patriots at this point.

It’s time to sell—and sell hard.

The Patriots are sitting at 1-5 with barely a pulse left in the AFC East, let alone the entire conference. Next up on the itinerary is two head-to-head matchups with the Buffalo Bills and Miami Dolphins that should drive the final nail in the coffin of their 2023 season.

It’s time to start thinking about building for the future, and to do that, the Patriots need to acquire as many draft picks as possible. They’ll already be entering 2024 with the second-most projected cap space. Throw in a bevy of picks and they’ll be in prime position to start a clean reboot.

Uche hasn’t broken out like the team hoped due to his limitations in being an every-down player. He has no issues pinning his ears back and getting after the quarterback. When it comes to being a pure pass-rusher, he’s one of the most talented in the business.

But he has shown weaknesses in defending the run, and those issues have popped up throughout his NFL career. Pro Football Focus has given him a 74.0 pass-rushing grade, while his run defense is 63.6. He is coming off a game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 7 that left him with his worst grades in both categories so far this season.

The former second-round draft pick also played in only 19 snaps, which isn’t ideal for a player of his caliber.

Finding a suitable trade is the only viable option at this point. If not, the Patriots run the risk of Uche walking out the door for nothing. Sometimes, knowing when to fold is equally as important as pushing the chips on the table.

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Report: Patriots have not had contract talks with LB Josh Uche

The Patriots have reportedly not had contract discussions with LB Josh Uche, who is set to be a free agent in 2024.

The New England Patriots and edge rusher Josh Uche have had no contract discussions, per FOX Sports’ Henry McKenna.

Uche is set to be a free agent in 2024.

The former second-round draft pick out of Michigan emerged as a pass-rushing force for New England over the past couple years. He had 11.5 sacks last season, and he has two so far this year, while dealing with a foot injury.

This is certainly an interesting development, given Uche’s consistent play over the years. New England would be without one of their top pass-rushing pieces should they not re-sign him.

But then again, the Patriots could have some tough decisions to make, as they sit at 1-5 on the season.

Uche’s situation will be one worth watching.

He is part of a free agent class that includes the likes of Kendrick Bourne, Kyle Dugger and Mike Onwenu. How New England approaches free agency will most likely be dependent on if coach Bill Belichick sticks around for another year or not.

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Patriots’ top 10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

These were the Patriots’ top-10 defensive players in Week 5, per PFF grades

Defense is about the only hope the New England Patriots have left this season, and that couldn’t have been more evident than Sunday’s 34-0 blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints.

It was another afternoon of horrific turnovers for the offense with one being a pick-six after a poor throwing decision from quarterback Mac Jones. The Saints dominated the battle of field position and time of possession by a 39:34-20:26 margin.

The defense didn’t really have much of a chance in the game.

Keep in mind, it’s also a defense that lost two of its best players, cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Matthew Judon, to injuries in the previous week. The good news is the unit continued to fight valiantly, even when clearly facing an uphill battle.

There was still tremendous effort on display for a team that currently looks like one of the worst in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Patriots, defensive effort alone doesn’t win football games. At some point, the offense has to find ways to execute and put points on the board.

Let’s take a look at the top-10 defensive players from Sunday’s game, per Pro Football Focus grades.

3 proposed trade packages for Patriots to land All-Pro WR Davante Adams

Three potential trade packages the Patriots could offer for Raiders WR Davante Adams

The Las Vegas Raiders might not be too long away from a fire sale, and when that moment comes, the New England Patriots should be the first team in line to trade for All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams.

Even when faced with the NFL’s hardest schedule and toughest division, the Patriots are clearly in a win-now situation.

They have one of the top-five defenses in the league, and Bill O’Brien has the offense looking like a night and day comparison of what it was last season under Matt Patricia.

Meanwhile, the AFC East isn’t nearly as daunting of a hill to climb as it appeared before the start of the season. The New York Jets no longer have Aaron Rodgers, and the Buffalo Bills have been a mistake waiting to happen. Miami is the class of the division, but the explosive Dolphins offense looked like a fish out of water at some points against the Patriots’ elite defense in Week 2.

Adams’ age (30) is obviously a concern when it comes to trade value, but there’s no question that he’s one of the best receivers in the league right now. His mere presence on offense for the Patriots would change things for the better.

The Raiders are sitting at 1-2 with no Chandler Jones on defense and the oft-injured Jimmy Garoppolo under center at quarterback. They look nothing like contenders in a division owned by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. They might as well get something for Adams, right?

Here are three trade packages the Patriots should consider offering for the elite No. 1 receiver: