The Philadelphia Eagles are signing linebacker and pass rusher Joshua Uche to a one-year deal, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Could this mean the end for Brandon Graham? Here are some thoughts on the Uche signing from Eliot Shorr-Parks:
Some more thoughts/info on the Josh Uche signing:
** Checks 4 boxes the Eagles really like:
Young: Only 26-years old Draft Pedigree:
2nd round pick in 2020
Potential: 11.5 sacks in 2022
Undervalued: Was bad in ‘23 & ‘24
** Uche has 20.5 sacks in 64 games, but 11.5 of them came in 2022. Since then has only 5 sacks in his last 28 games.
** Was traded from NE to KC last season but barely played for KC once he got there. Concerning that Spags benched him once he got him in the building.
** Josh Uche has been very inconsistent. Some years he is awesome, some years he is awful.
2024: 46th rated EDGE; 14.9% PRWR
2023: 65th rated EDGE; 11.1% PRWR
2022: 9th rated EDGE; 19.2% PRWR
2021: 101st rated EDGE; 13.2% PRWR
2020: 27th rated EDGE; 18.5% PRWR
** A major concern is Uche vs. the run.
EDGE ranking vs run, per PFF:
2020: 74th
2021: 209th
2022: 83rd
2023: 97th
2024: 38th
This feels like another Bryce Huff, who Vic never played. Uche is either going to have to better vs the run (which they wrongly projected with Huff) or won’t get on the field until 3rd down — and why would they take N. Smith or Hunt off the field on the biggest down?
** Could be Huff is gone? If Huff is gone it is going to be a trade, not a cut. Trading Huff right now costs $5m in cap space. Doing it after June 1st saves $4m. So Huff likely here for a little while longer and then will have to show he has improved in camp. Huff and Uche on the roster on the same time seems very redundant.
** This probably means Brandon Graham is gone. N. Smith, Hunt and Uche are all going to be on the roster. They will likely draft an EDGE. That’s 4. Huff is 5 for now. Hard to see how BG fits.