Chiefs acquire pass rusher Josh Uche from the Patriots for a 2026 sixth-round draft pick

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs acquired pass rusher Josh Uche from the New England Patriots for a 2026 sixth-round pick on Monday, giving one of the NFL's best defenses an upgrade at a position where it was looking for some help.

Uche will take the roster spot of tight end Jody Fortson, who is headed for injured reserve with a knee injury.

Uche was a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2020 and has 20 1/2 sacks over parts of five seasons, including two through the first seven games of this season. His best year was in 2022, when Uche had 11 1/2 sacks and forced two fumbles in 15 games.

He joins a pass rush group in Kansas City that is led on the edge by George Karlaftis, Mike Danna and Felix Anudike-Uzomah, and features defensive tackle Chris Jones providing pressure up the middle. Charles Omenihu is expected to return soon from a torn ACL that has kept him out all season, and that should further help the pass rush.

The deal is the second significant trade for Kansas City in less than a week. The Chiefs sent a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans last week for DeAndre Hopkins, who had two catches for 29 yards in Sunday's 27-20 win over the Raiders.

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