New England Patriots: Top 3 performers of training camp
New England Patriots top performer No. 1: Josh Uche
Josh Uche faced uncertainty after missing a good chunk of his rookie season with injuries. That uncertainty was increased when New England revamped their defense, and added guys like Matthew Judon and Kyle Van Noy to the fold. It was fair to wonder whether or not there was going to be a role for the second year linebacker this season.
Uche proceeded to dominate the rest of the offseason proceedings, and he’s made a case to be a starter in New England’s deep front seven. In one of the more competitive spots on the roster, Uche lapped the rest of the pack and turned the competition into a laugher. There was never a question he was going to make the roster after the Pats minicamp earlier this summer, and he’s only built on that throughout training camp.
It seemed like Uche’s progress was set to be deterred after he left the second preseason game against the Eagles with an injury. But Uche found his way back to the practice field, and he was arguably the most explosive defensive player on either team during joint practices with the Giants this week.
Whether he was racking up sacks, tackles for a loss, or drawing numerous holding penalties because opposing o-linemen couldn’t stop him, Uche’s impact was hard to miss. It’s telling that with all the new faces on defense, Uche was often one of the players who stood out the most.
Uche has been labeled as one of the Patriots potential breakout candidates all offseason long, and it seems like he actually might live up to that billing. While other players succeeded in finding their way onto the roster, Uche did that and more considering he’s in contention for a starting spot now.
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There’s a good chance he won’t win that, but it doesn’t matter; Josh Uche is going to be an impact player for the Patriots defense either way. If he isn’t a starter during Week 1, there’s a good chance he will be later on. For that reason, it’s clear Uche the Pats top performer during training camp.