The Kansas City Chiefs lost a few key defenders to kickstart the NFL free agency. Upon the start of the negotiating period on Monday, the Chiefs let Tershawn Wharton and Justin Reid sign elsewhere. GM Brett Veach hasn't filled the voids created by the two veterans. Instead, the Chiefs used their resources to sign cornerback Kristian Fulton and offensive lineman Jaylon Moore.
There are remaining free agents who finished the year in Kansas City who have yet to sign a new contract. On Day 4 of free agency, however, one of them found a new home. Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Chiefs free agent Joshua Uche signed with the reigning Super Bowl winners, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pass-rush help for Philadelphia: Eagles reached agreement today on a one-year deal with former Chiefs free-agent LB Joshua Uche, who now will try to help replace Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham. Deal negotiated by Drew Rosenhaus and Kyle Lincoln. pic.twitter.com/wKGH2MHJGw
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 13, 2025
NFL News: Eagles Sign LB Joshua Uche
This marks the end of a disappointing Chiefs tenure for Uche. The 26-year-old defender was traded to Kansas City for a sixth-round pick before the 2024 trade deadline. After productive 4.5 seasons with the Patriots, Uche was expected to boost the Chiefs defense and be an integral part of the pass-rush rotation.
Instead, he barely cracked the rotation and eventually completely fell out of it. Fifty of his 87 defensive snaps as a Chief came on the meaningless regular-season finale in Week 18. He never suited up for the Chiefs during the postseason, and failed to record a sack or tackle for loss in his short stint with the team.
This continues a concerning trajectory in Uche's career. During his time in New England, Uche was one of the more promising young defenders in the league. He finished his third season in the NFL with 11.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, and 14 QB hits in 15 games. That remains as the high-water mark of his career as Uche never came close to replicating that production.
Now, he will try to revive his career with the Eagles under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Philadelphia has a good track record of helping players re-establish themselves in the NFL and we will see whether that's the case with Uche.
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